Learn Why an Implant Dentist Uses Titanium Posts

As an implant dentist, we can replace your missing teeth. Dental implants have been around since the first man or woman, decided that they were tired of losing teeth. They took a hammer and the materials available around them and crafted the first replacements. Usually made of bone or shells, these “implants” were hammered into the jawbone in the place of the lost tooth. Since this time, we definitely have made improvements to the way we perform dental implant surgery.  However, the idea of keeping all our teeth has endured. In fact, it has grown into a passion and a profession for dentists around the world.

Today's dental implants have the advantage of another material, found in our surroundings, which allow people to have long lasting beautify replacements to natural teeth. Titanium is a metal that has many uses. For one, NASA uses it to build space ships, while TaylorMade designs state of the art golf clubs with it. For an implant dentist, titanium has given us the ability to craft dental implants that can, under the right circumstances, last as long as 30 years. It is no accident that we use titanium in the majority of our implants, having discovered that titanium has a unique quality that helps the body accept the replacement root.

Known as Osseointegration, titanium can form a bond with the jawbone in a completely unique way and without the need for connective soft tissue. Once the implant is completed, and healed, the titanium screw, which makes up the implant, and the jawbone form a unique and symbiotic relationship that is good for both the jaw and for the implant. The jaw for its part accepts the implant as a replacement for the removed root and begins to heal around it. Providing strength and stability for the implant, the jawbone treats the titanium screw exactly as though it were a natural biological root. For its part, the titanium screw also behaves much the same way as a natural biological root by encouraging the jaw bone to grow and develop along a natural trajectory.

Aside from Osseointegration, titanium has a number of other qualities that make it perfect for creating dental implants. For one, titanium is an extremely strong but equally light material. When you consider that dental implants are placed in the mouth, it is important for the substance used to be lightweight so as to not put undue pressure on the mouth muscles. Secondly, people depend on a strong bite. The average person has the ability to exert around 200lbs of pressure per square inch with their natural teeth. This allows us to bite through most foods and effectively start the digestive process. Studies have shown that dental implants, with titanium, gives the patient exactly the same amount of bite pressure and has little to no impact on their lifestyle. A strong, resilient, and lightweight material makes titanium priceless in the fight for perfect teeth and the choice of an implant dentist.