A Quick History Of Modern Day Dental Implants
Today, placing dental implants in Richmond is only possible because of the work of one man. Known as the father of modern-day dental implants, Professor Per Ingvar Branemark discovered bone fusion (otherwise known as osseointegration). Nowadays osseointegration is the cornerstone of every implant success story and without it, tooth loss suffers simply wouldn’t be able to have life-like permanent teeth. Sadly Professor Branemark passed away in December of last year at the age of 85, so we thought that we’d take this opportunity to pay homage to the man behind the implant phenomenon.
1952
As a young Swedish physician, Branemark accidentally discovered the bone fusion process when he was initially studying how blood flow affects bone healing. During the experimentation process he placed optical devices encased in titanium into the lower limbs of rabbits. After his research period ended Branemark went to remove the devices and found to his amazement that they couldn’t be removed because the surrounding bone tissue had fused with the titanium. He called the process osseointegration after the Greek word ‘osteon’ (meaning bone) and the Latin ‘intergrare’. After this, his research then took a whole new direction when he realised that it might also be used as an artificial anchor for prosthetic teeth.
1965
After years of testing dental implants were placed into the very first human patient. That patient was Gosta Larsson. Born with jaw deformities Larsson agreed to become the very first human guinea pig, so in 1965 the procedure was performed for the very first time. The surgery proved to be a great success and in fact, Mr Larsson was still sporting the original implanted teeth right up until his death in 2006 some 41 years later.
1982
Despite this success Prof Branemark spent the next 17 years trying to convince the medical community of the benefits of osseointegration. However it wasn’t until the 1982 Toronto conference where Prof Branemark presented his theory of osseointegration in clinical dentistry that he started to be believed and finally, people started to officially accept his work. It was at this conference where Prof Branemark said that “No one person should ever die with their teeth in a glass” and it’s this dedication to finding a better, permanent form of teeth replacement that has lead us to where we are today.
Nowadays titanium implants have spread far beyond the field of dentistry and osseointegration is used in both medial and veterinary procedures all over the world.
In the 21st century, if you suffer with missing teeth then dental implants in Richmond are a great way to restore your smile, your happiness, and your confidence and it’s all down to Prof Branemark.
To find out more about how implants can change your life then why not book yourself a free, no-obligation consultation. Come and talk to Sheen Dental where we can help you make an informed decision about your dental future. To book yours either visit our website at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk or alternatively contact us on 020 8876 5277. Dr Harmit Kalsi and the team look forward to meeting you.