A BRIEF HISTORY OF DENTAL IMPLANTS

Abstract

Teeth replacement through dental implants represents one of the oldest practices in the entire history of dentistry, being supported by archaeological findings and dedicated chapters in old medical textbooks. Ancient civilizations like Mayans, Egyptians, Phoenicians, or Chinese used amazing methods of implantology, and interesting materials like shells, bamboo, porcelain, iridioplatinum, or cobalt-chromium-molybdenum, connected using ligature wires made of gold, silver, linen or silk, or even real teeth, of human or animal origin. Over the time, dental implantology has evolved from rudimentary attempts to replace missing teeth, to experimental treatments with various materials, until reaching the point where implant-supported prostheses represent a highly predictable rehabilitation option. This historical perspective starts from ancient civilizations and emphasizes the main findings in every important phase of evolution of dental implants, providing a tour of the materials that were used, the main contributors and experiments that defined the science of implantology through time.