Evolution of Dental Implants

When it comes to teeth, the average person is generally concerned about the way theirs appear to the public eye. A healthy and pleasant looking smile can go a long way towards attracting a partner or even a job. To be frank, having a nice set of teeth can open a lot of doors for someone.

For these reasons, many individuals that have suffered tooth loss often look for solutions. Tooth loss can occur for a variety of reasons – decay, genetics, injuries, or other natural causes. When this does occur, tooth replacement options can take place in a variety of forms. Some choose to simply ignore the loss and go on with their lives. Others choose temporary replacements at a lower cost, while those more fortunate may opt for permanent implants.

While some readers may be familiar with implants and the ins-and-outs that go along with such a procedure, many others find implants a foreign concept to them. To gain an overall better understanding of dental implants, this article will breakdown some of the origins and evolution of dental implants.

What are Dental Implants?

To quickly summarize, dental implants are any foreign material placed into the human jaw bone to be used as a substitute for a lost tooth. While modern dental implants are easily identified, this was not always the case.

In today’s world, dental implants look so realistic that individuals can live with the smile of their dreams without obvious attention that the implants are actually fake teeth.

Ancient Dental Implants

Dental Implants were originally developed for the purpose of replacing lost teeth. While modern dental and medical technology has now made it possible to have implants that are visually undetectable, this was not always the case. Dating back to the ancient Mayans, archaeologists believe that some of the original implants were made of seashells and carved stones. In ancient China, bamboo was carved and used to replace teeth.

While modern-day implants are much more sophisticated and are able to preserve natural bone, older civilizations used whatever foreign material they could make work. With this former approach, ancient dental implants were quite obvious to identify. The modern-day implant can, for the most part, have its color shading altered to match neighboring teeth. As such, the layperson may not be able to tell if someone has had a dental implant. This may be an important factor in someone deciding to use implants if they are self-conscious about their appearance.

Improved Comfort and Durability

With Dental implants, you don’t have to worry about taking them out or if they will fit just right after a few weeks. Since they are directly applied to your jawbone, they won’t be coming out any time soon, which covers two significant issues: Comfort and durability.

Since the dental implants are made to last, you know that the durability is going to last as well. Since the primary component used in the dental implants are Titanium, this means that they can take quite a bit more than your other quality metals. With just a bit of care and attention, the durability of the implants will last a lifetime.

Not only that, they are made to directly fit into your jawbone. As such, they need to be perfectly fitted with no space for error. With that in mind, they are made to be as comfortable as possible and to stay that way, since they can’t come out. This is directly contrasting to things like dentures, which can shift and change where they are placed, causing extreme discomfort in some cases.

Improved Quality of Life

With the evolution of implants shifting to materials that better mesh with human tissue, patients receiving dental implants have experienced an improved quality of life after receiving this type of treatment. While ancient implants could lead to infection, discomfort, or be visually unappealing, modern technology allows patients to avoid these repercussions. With titanium implants revolutionizing dental implant technology back in early 1980s, patients no longer had to worry about their mouth rejecting the implant as much.

With these improved implants, matching color shading, and advancements in pain management, a dental implant procedure causes less stress on patients heading in for the procedure. Patients will quickly bounce back and be enjoying their lives with a new set of pearly whites in no time.

As dental technology continues to advance, the only question surrounding dental implants is the financial aspect of the procedure. While the quality and reliability of implants have made great improvements over time, they still remain a fairly expensive option for patients. Relative to other dental treatment options, a full set of dental implants will easily cost a patient tens of thousands of dollars. As with many other lines of business, it would not be surprising to see the improved efficiency of such a procedure eventually lead to a lower cost for patients in the future.