Titanium: the best material for Dental Implants?

There is evidence that humans have attempted to replace missing teeth with different types of dental implants for thousands of years back in the past.

Remains from ancient China (dating 4000 years ago) have carved bamboo pegs, tapped into the bone, to replace missing teeth, and 2000-year-old remains from Egypt have similarly shaped pegs made of different precious metals. Some Egyptian mummies were found to have transplanted human teeth, and in other instances, teeth made of ivory. Mayans used sea shells as dental implants.

Many materials have been used to replace missing teeth. However, at present time, only titanium dental implants have been unanimously accepted through the field of medicine. This amazing metal is capable of integrating into the bone perfectly, a process also known as osseointegration. The reason why this is possible is due to a feature that other metals do not possess which make titanium dental implants the best option to replace the missing teeth.

As you may know, our body is designed to reject all foreign elements that invade it and have several methods to detect them. This mechanism allow our body to defend itself from viruses or bacteria. This mechanism is also responsible for the organ rejection in the case of transplant from other people.

The second way regards the modifications that metal ions produce in our proteins, triggering a defensive reaction and rejection of the metallic agent. Metals in contact with bodily fluids capture oxygen,  that was being carried by our blood. This oxidation causes the outermost layer of the metal to suffer changes and “peal away” gradually. The ions released this way are unstable, and to regain stability they bind to host proteins, creating a metal-protein complex that is mistakenly recognized as an invading antigen and react as if they were an infection.

Titanium work a little different and does not do this. It first layer of atoms oxidizes but this does not affect the strong binding to the second layer of titanium atoms. As result, no ionized atom is detached, making it “invisible” to our immune system. The bone and tissue heal around the implant and create bridges binding themselves to the porous surface of the titanium dental implants. This is a fortunate fact for humans, because this way we can not only use titanium to replace teeth, but also in other medical applications.

All the dental implants used with All on 4 are made by Nobel Biocare with Titanium Grade 5, FDA approved. They are the same high quality as the ones used by dentists in USA and Canada! If you want to know more about All on 4 treatment and our services call toll free from USA and Canada 1-800-701-6039, or if you are already on vacation in Cancun and want to meet us, you can call us for an appointment at the following local number (998) 1-40-51-25.