This two part article series provides a brief history of dental implants and how, through the discovery of ‘osseointegration’ the field of implantology became a possibility.

1. Silver Spring Dentists: The History of Dental Implants, PART 2
Welcome back to our two-part article series on the history of dental implants. In our previous post, Silver Spring
dentists discussed how the concepts of replacing missing teeth with a foreign material, such as bone, ivory,
seashell or gold, is one that dates back to some of our earliest civilizations. One of the primary differences
between these rudimentary dental implants and the modern technology that is globally recognized to be the
very best for the replacement of single and multiple missing teeth is that the former was mostly cosmetic in
purpose.
A problem that frustrated these ancient civilizations and continued to baffle medical doctors and dentists until
1950 was that none of the materials or metals used or experimented with would provide a fixed and non-
removable replacement tooth. With each new material experimented with, the jaw would simply reject the
foreign artificial tooth, explain Silver Spring dentists. So, prior to the conception of modern dental implants, you
could have a false tooth made for you, but like dentures, it would not be fixed or permanent.
That is, until a very important discovery in 1951…
Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark and the Discovery of ‘Osseointegration’
Experiment after experiment was carried out by the dentists of the time
in the hope that they would discover a material or metal that was capable
of fusing with the underlying bone in the human jaw. If they could just
discover what this mystery material was, Silver Spring dentists could go
on to fashion replacement teeth that would actually remain permanently
rooted in the jaw, just like natural teeth. After decades of toil, Silver
Spring dentists weren’t any closer to finding a non-removable solution to
missing teeth…
It was in 1951 that an accidental discovery led to the conception of dental implantology, say Silver Spring
dentists. Swedish orthopedic surgeon Per-Ingvar Brånemark was experimenting with titanium metal and rabbit
bone in a totally unrelated study. After a few months, he noticed quite by accident that the bone tissue had
biologically fused with the titanium metal and that the resultant bond was very strong! This not only made
dental implants a possibility, explain Silver Spring dentists, but it also opened up the field of orthopedic surgery
dedicated to repairing and replacing bones and joints in the body.
Silver Spring Dentists: Modern Dental Implant Science
Subsequent to this breakthrough, albeit accidental discovery, Silver
Spring dentists went on to refine the hardware, technology and
surgical methods required for replacing missing teeth using
titanium-supported ceramic tooth crowns and bridges. Nowadays,
there is no limit to the number of teeth Silver Spring dentists can
replace using dental implants. Removable dentures, or false teeth,
used to be the technology offered to edentulous (toothless) and near-
edentulous patients. With the sophistication of dental implant
protocols (the surgical methods governing their placement), Silver Spring dentists are able to provide these
people with a full set of fixed and non-removable teeth that are - in functionality, aesthetics and comfort –
virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth.
A Final Note from Silver Spring Dentists
Dental implants have come a long way, as have we as a civilization, say Silver Spring dentists. Whether you have
lost one of your teeth to accidental trauma or all of them to periodontal (gum) disease, there are comprehensive
and long term solutions available.