Dental implants were accidentally invented by Professor Per-Ingvar Branemark in 1952 during a bone grafting research project, when he discovered that titanium anchors successfully bonded permanently to live bone tissue. He went on to demonstrate that in controlled conditions, titanium can be integrated into living bone tissue with a high degree of predictability, without risk of rejection. His revolutionary discovery, known as osseointegration, has provided modern dentistry with a long-lasting solution to missing teeth, with what is known today as the dental implant. In 1965, the first titanium implant was placed in a patient, and since then dental implants have shown more than a 90% success rate. Long-term studies continue to show higher success as implants have become the preferred method for restoring missing teeth in patients. 

Today, getting a dental implant requires a three part process. A dental implant, which is a small titanium post, is surgically placed into the jaw bone to essentially act as the missing tooth root. These implants become strong anchors to support crowns, bridges, and overdenture restorations. There are hundreds of different brands of implant fixtures currently available today. At our clinic, we use Nobel Biocare and Hiossen brand implants, these are some of the best implant brands used in the world today. All manufacturing of our implants are done within the United States and are FDA approved. Other popular brands include Biomet 3i, Straumann may be special ordered by request.

Implant's abutment is a component that attaches to the portion of the implant that sits above the gumline. Think of the abutment piece as the connector -- it connects an implant's crown to the implant. It provides a platform for the crown, which is molded and positioned on the abutment and will have the look and feel of a natural tooth. While many offices may use the stock, manufactured abutment, we offer a complimentary upgrade to a custom abutment to ensure a perfect fit for your crown.