Dental implants are essentially small pieces of titanium metal that provide anchorage for replacement teeth.
There is no doubt that Dental Implants were a true "Eureka !"moment in dentistry.
Dental Implants -as we know them today -were pioneered in Gothenburg, Sweden by Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark a Physician and Anatomy Professor.
As part of his experiments on bone healing and regeneration, Professor Brånemark inserted a titanium chamber in a rabbit's leg in order to study blood tissue, with plans to remove the chamber for re-use. Unexpectedly, he found that the titanium fused and integrated with the bone without any sign of rejection. Essentially the titanium and bone ‘bonded’ or fuse together.
Brånemark quickly concluded that titanium could then be placed in jaw bones to provide anchorage for missing teeth.
The original concept was that dental implants would be used to help secure wobbly lower dentures.
Gösta Larsson became the first dental implant patient back in 1965.
Mr Larsson - who described himself as a dental invalid -had dental implants placed in his lower jaw to help secure his wobbly lower dentures.
Professor Brånemark was absolutely convinced that his new invention would drastically improve Mr Larsson's quality of life.
“I never felt any hesitation. Gösta had a great need, one that I felt we could meet, and so we got started.”— Per-Ingvar Brånemark
Gösta was so delighted with the treatment -and that he could chew with confidence - that he couldn’t stop telling everyone he knew about these amazing dental implants.
So much so, that the second ever patient to have dental implants was the taxi driver who drove Mr Larsson to his appointments!
Gösta Larsson's implants lasted until his death some 40 years later.
While the application of implants has considerably widened since the 1960s three things remain the same…
1. The benefits of implants can be life changing …Implants- simply put -restore confidence, aesthetics and chewing power.
2. Patients who have had implants - like Gösta Larsson- would do it again and would heartily recommend them to others who are thinking about it.
3. With careful planning and delivery implants can be a highly predictable long lasting treatment.
Implants can be life changing but - as mentioned above- require surgical treatment and proper planning.
At Loanhead Dental Practice both of these factors will be discussed in detail and in terms that you understand by your treating implant clinician. You will be able to obtain accurate estimates for the cost of treatment, for guarantees and for the likely longevity of the treatment overall based on an average patient situation.
If you would like to find out more, we would be delighted to see you for a free implant consultation today.
Blog No. 6
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