May 4, 2016

The modern dental implant has roots further back in history than you may imagine. Through the ages, humans have developed increasingly advanced methods for dealing with tooth decay and loss. Modern treatments owe a debt to ages of human invention and several pioneering doctors along the way. Today, Dr. Gregory Toback uses modern science and cutting-edge technology to ensure beautiful, functional dental implants in Westerly, CT.

 Pre-Technological Methods

 Always inventive, the Egyptians pioneered the use of placeholders to prevent tooth shifting. As far back as 2500 B.C, gold wire ligatures held spare teeth, or pieces of animal bone, tightly between two good teeth to prevent the still-intact teeth from becoming unstable. These methods were used by ancient peoples for nearly 1000 years.

 The Advent of Osseointegration

 When the Mayans placed fragments of seashells into the gums where teeth had been lost, they didn’t know they were pioneering a technology that wouldn’t be fully understood until being discovered by a Swedish orthopedic surgeon, Per-Ingvar Brånemark, in the 1960s. Some of those ancient shell fragments have been found fused to Mayan jawbones through a process dubbed, “osseointegration,” which literally means, “bone fusing.”

Once fully understood, this process quickly led to an explosion of technological advances in the field of dental implants. Several methods were successfully used between 1950 and today.

  • Double-helical spiral implant
  • Blade implant
  • Ti implant
  • All-on-4®

Modern implants are successful due to the long history of innovation and discovery. Current technologies allow us to substitute with implants that look, feel and function just like the teeth that are being replaced, which improves both the health and lifestyle of our patients.

 Call Today

Whether you have missing teeth or are interested in more information about whether implants are right for you, our friendly, knowledgeable staff can help. Give us a call at 860-333-1531 for more information or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Toback.

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