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Dental Implants in the Ancient World

October 17, 2017Elaine ChowUncategorized

 

The Benefits of Modern Dental Implants

Dental implants are a fantastic way to restore your smile. They look and feel great and they function just like your regular teeth. Whereas dentures must be removed nightly, dental implants are permanently fixed to your smile –  you’ll never have to remove your dental implants for cleaning or any other reason.

Dental implants as we know them today are the result of several recent technological innovations and biomedical advances. The most important breakthrough in oral implantology was the discovery osseointegration by Swedish scientist Per-Ingvar Brånemark in 1952.

However, this important discovery wasn’t mankind’s first foray into permanent tooth replacement. Let’s explore how our ancient ancestors understood the potential consequences of tooth loss and developed their own methods of replacing missing teeth.

Replacing Missing Teeth in the Ancient World

Although our ancient ancestors didn’t have the same understanding of dentistry we do today, they still struggled with many of the same health conditions we deal with now, including tooth loss. Like modern man, this serious oral health issue could be the result of trauma, gum disease, and tooth decay. However, these factors were exacerbated by their lack of knowledge about modern dental hygiene.

While people in ancient times didn’t have the same knowledge of modern chemistry and technology, this didn’t prevent them from trying to restore damaged or missing teeth by whatever means they had available. This meant attempting to fashion dental implants from the materials they had around them.

The Ancient Mayans

The ancient Mayans demonstrated impressive dental achievements despite their lack of modern technology. For example, they used shells as dental implants.The Mayans also practiced an interesting form of cosmetic dentistry – they adorned their teeth by pounding gemstones into them. The Mayans performed these procedures without anesthetic or electric drills. We can only imagine how painful this must have been!

Other Examples of Ancient Implants

Archeologists have discovered several other examples of dental implants in the ancient world.  For example, the ancient Chinese fashioned dental implants from bamboo pegs about 4000 years ago. These pegs were inserted directly into the jawbone. The ancient Egyptians implanted prostheses made from ivory into their jawbones. They also used actual human teeth for this purpose.

Your Completely Modern Implant Dentist in Thunder Bay

Dr. Elaine Chow at Oasis Family Dental in Thunder Bay restores smiles with beautiful and permanent modern dental implants. Give us a call today and arrange your consultation to discover what we can do for your smile.

 

 

Tags: Ancient dental implants, Ancient Mayans, dental implants
  • What are Dental Implants?
  • Tooth Loss and Your Health
  • Are You a Candidate?
  • Dental Implant Process
  • Tooth Replacement Treatments Compared
  • Dental Implant Aftercare
  • Dental Implants in the Ancient World

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