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Evolution of Tooth Implants

Dental implantology has made huge strides in just the past 20 years - but the concept is anything but new.

The idea of a tooth replacement anchored permanently into the jaw has been around since antiquity. Archeologists know the ancient Egyptians tried to implant precious stones into the jawbone where teeth were lost. Half a world away, Mayan ruins in Mexico turned up jawbones with tooth implants carved from seashells.

Tooth loss is one of humankind's most common afflictions - and permanent replacement one of dentistry's fondest dreams. If you have a missing tooth or teeth, you probably understand why.

Fast-forward now from the Third Dynasty to today's dental research labs. Three major research advances - all in the past 15 years - combined to make dental implants practical and workable in a wide range of patients.

Tooth implants substitute the rooting of 32 individual teeth with a few metal anchor posts onto which snaps either an overdenture or a fixed bridge. Investigators found that posts made of the metal titanium were strong, non-toxic over years in the mouth, and biologically compatible.

The next critical discovery was the concept of "osseointegration" - in which the healing jawbone actually grows into the dental implant post. This union is capable of sealing harmful bacteria out of the bone tissue.

Credit the computer revolution with the final critical breakthrough: Computerized Tomography (CT) can be used to develop a model of the jawbone's surface. This eliminates the need for preliminary surgery required to make impressions of the jawbone. For certain patients CT imaging can make tooth implant surgery a one-step procedure.

Teeth implants aren't for everybody. But research technicians have expanded its potential beyond the dreams of - well, certainly Ramses II.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Teeth Implants: The Permanent Solution to a Lost Tooth

Whether it's due to accident or decay, tooth loss can be a pretty traumatic event. But it's not irreplaceable. If you lose a tooth, you might be surprised at the options modern dentistry can offer to replace that missing tooth.

If it's a sudden, accidental injury and you lose the entire tooth, roots and all, it may even be possible to replace the tooth in its socket. But time is of the essence, the tooth replacement must occur within an hour of the accident.

A more realistic alternative is a tooth implant. Teeth implants are the next best thing to having natural teeth restored to your mouth. That's because, instead of being a removable device inside the mouth, like dentures, implants are permanently anchored into the jaw itself.

The key to a successful dental implant procedure is called osseointegration, or the meshing together of implant and bone. Good candidates for dental implants need jawbone ridges that are in good shape and healthy oral tissues. Then, when the implant device is inserted, a chemical and mechanical bond is formed. The jawbone actually grows into the dental implant.

The thing to remember is... if you lose a tooth, it's not the end of the world. Tooth implants are only one of your options. Regardless of the cause of your tooth loss, there's something you can do to recreate a healthy, natural-looking smile. Contact your dentist today to get more tooth implant information.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.