Over the past 50 years, countless attempts have replace missing teeth with dental implants. These implants have taken various forms, including screws, posts, blades, and metal grids. They were very unpredictable and generally failed because they were placed into the jaw in a fashion that allowed soft connective tissue to grow between the implant and the bone. This thin layer of “gum-like” tissue often results in the implant or infection looseness in only five to 10 years.
This was the unsure state of dental implants until 1982. At that time, Dr. P.I. Branemark, a Swedish surgeon, published the results of over 25 years of work with implants. His findings have significantly altered how many dental implants have been performed since that time.
In the 1950s, Dr. Branemark was analyzing the repair process of bone tissue. During these experiments, he and his colleagues serendipitously discovered that living bone tissue could bond directly with the space-age metal titanium.
This process, which Dr. Branemark called “osseointegration,” led to a scientific breakthrough in long-term tooth replacement. Combining specially designed titanium implants with a highly refined surgical process, dentists can now provide patients with an alternative to bridges, partial dentures, or full dentures.
The first Branemark implant patients were treated in 1965, and those implants are still functioning today. Since Dr. Branemark treated his first patient, several million osseointegrated implants have been placed in the mouths of patients worldwide with an extremely high rate of success. Historically, osseointegrated implants that function for at least one year after their placement continue to work successfully at more than 98 percent. Osseointegrated implants provide more function and comfort, but they also reduce the amount of continuing bone loss due to the loss of natural teeth. The osseointegrated implants require a team effort: a surgeon to place the implants and a prosthodontist to construct the artificial teeth. Both members of the implant team should have specialized training in implant treatment. Finally, as a part of the team, the patient must practice careful oral hygiene throughout the surgical procedure and afterward to ensure the best result.
Chandler Dentist Kelly Jorn Cook, DDS
Kelly Jorn Cook, DDS
3800 West Ray Road, Suite 19
Chandler, AZ 85226
Office: (480) 899-4477