The Titanium Success of Tooth Implants

This article explains the choice of titanium metal in the construction of dental implants.

With a 98% success rate and benefits and advantages that eclipse those offered by traditional dental technologies, tooth implants are the number one choice of Sun City dentists. The concept behind tooth implants is one that has been around for thousands of years, with ancient civilizations making use of rudimentary materials such as bone, sea shell, ivory and even precious metals to replace missing teeth. However, these served more as an aesthetic solution and perhaps even a crudely functional one. Prior to the innovation of tooth implants as we know them today, dentists experimented with all sorts of metals and materials, trying to find one that could remain permanently embedded in the jaw bone. It was then in 1951 that, through an experiment with titanium and rabbit bone, Per-Ingvar Brånemark, a Swedish orthopedic surgeon, accidentally discovered the secret to tooth implant success…

Tooth Implants: About Titanium Metal

In 1951, Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark found, quite by accident, that titanium metal is biologically compatible with bone tissue. Left to heal, bone will actually grow around and fuse with titanium, unlike other metals and materials that are simply rejected and expelled by the body. For the first time, Sun City dentists were looking at the possibility of designing a tooth implant that could remain permanently in the jaw. The discovery of the process termed ‘osseointegration’ not only made dental implantology a possibility; it also opened up the field of orthopedic surgery dedicated to the repair and replacement of bones and joints in the body!

Osseointegration is the real key behind the success of titanium metal as the material from which tooth implants are made. But, without its many other important characteristics, dental implantology just wouldn’t be where it is today. Titanium metal is the perfect material for the fabrication of tooth implants for many reasons:

• It is strong and lightweight: Titanium boasts the highest strength-to-weight ratio of all the metals on the periodic table. In fact, it’s so strong and so lightweight that it is used in the construction of space craft and professional tennis racquets! Its strength enables titanium to support a strong and natural bite for decades without buckling, warping or breaking, say Sun City dentists.

• It is non-corrosive: Titanium metal doesn’t rust or corrode over time. This is exceptionally important because not only is the mouth a constantly wet environment, it’s acidic too. The ability of titanium to last many decades in the mouth enables it to work as a fantastic tooth replacement material.

• Stable and non-toxic: Titanium metal is also entirely safe to use in the fabrication of tooth implants, say Sun City dentists. Other metals, such as lead and mercury, are highly toxic. Titanium doesn’t degrade or change over time and it won’t in any way negatively affect the health of the patient.

Sun City Dentists: Titanium for Modern Tooth Implants

All of these characteristics, together with the bio-compatibility of titanium, make titanium the perfect material for the fabrication of tooth implants, say Sun City dentists. With the strength and longevity of this metal, patients can benefit from a durable, resilient and long-lasting replacement for single and multiple missing teeth.