Coated Dental Implants — Moving Toward the Future

Titanium in Dental Implants: The Beginning

Titanium! What a material. The whole titanium technology in medicine started by accident. The researchers were looking for a metal that would be very strong for its size to use as on a research project to microscopically look into bone marrow. They made lenses with titanium housings that screwed into the bone. At the end of the experiment, they found that the bone had bonded to the metal. The researcher told his dental friend about it and they made a titanium tooth screw and it worked. The rest is history.

Common Use of Titanium in Dental Implants

Now, most every implant used in bone placement such as artificial hips, knees, bone plates, dental etc., are all titanium. Ceramics also work for dental implants, but the titanium is still the standard and has been consistently the best material.

The Future of Titanium in Dental Implants

I believe the future will be in a composite titanium/ceramic material that we will be able to produce (3D printing) immediately to place in a desired spot such as a tooth socket for dental implants. Work is being done on this with special materials and coatings. It is a new twist on an idea we had tried in the past. I am excited about these new applications and material combinations that will likely make a great technology used for dental implants even greater.

Ref: J Oral Maxillofac Surg 72 : 53-60, 2014

Affordable Dental Implants

For a consultation, call Wagner Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Specialists at (262) 634-4646 today — we’ll take excellent care of you.