| The old dental implants were made from pieces of | | | | The orthopedic surgeon and his team were studying |
| shell that were shaped like teeth. They were | | | | the healing process of bones at the University of Lund |
| unearthed in Honduras in the 1930s by Dr. Wilson | | | | when they screwed a titanium metal cylinder into the |
| Popenoe, an archaeologist. Dental implants were also | | | | thigh bone of an animal test subject. |
| found among ancient Egyptian artifacts. Like the first | | | | Later Branemark discovered that the metal cylinder |
| one, the Egyptian implants were also made of shells | | | | had fused with the bone - a process that he called |
| and ivory. | | | | osseointegration. The professor began experimenting |
| Before the advent of modern implants, dentures were | | | | with this technique and this led to the birth of dental |
| the only recourse for those with missing teeth due to | | | | implants. |
| accidents or disease. One popular denture maker was | | | | Since the 1980s, implants have become the ideal |
| Paul Revere, an American silversmith and patriot in the | | | | method of replacing one or more missing teeth. Over |
| American Revolution. Before taking his midnight ride | | | | 800,000 patients have benefited from this technique. |
| and telling us that the British were coming, Revere | | | | What's good about titanium is that it's not regarded as |
| worked as a dentist and tried to make the perfect | | | | a foreign object by the body. This allows the implants |
| dentures. While dentures have greatly improved since | | | | to be fastened securely to the jawbone. The fixed |
| Paul's time, they still have a lot of problems. | | | | dental implant looks, feels and functions like real teeth. |
| Fortunately, things changed for the best when a | | | | Since it is attached to the jawbone, this is a solid |
| Swedish professor named Per-Ingvar Branemark | | | | replacement that won't slip, affect your appearance or |
| stumbled upon the concept of dental implants in 1951. | | | | limit what you eat. |