Dental Implants History
Osseointegration were discovered by chance in the 1950’s, and led to the development of dental implants. The very first patient to receive this treatment in 1965 enjoyed his teeth until he died 4 decades later.
He inserted optical devices encased in Titanium into the lower legs of rabbits in order to study the healing process. When the research period ended and he went to remove the devices, he discovered to his surprise that the titanium had fused into the bone and could not be removed.
He discovered that titanium is accepted by the body’s immune system as though it had been its own biologic substance and realised that if the body can tolerate the long-term presence of titanium, the metal could be used to create anchors for artificial teeth.
The first patient was Gosta Larsson in 1965, who had no teeth in the lower jaw and wore a loose denture at the age of 35. The operation installing four implants was a success, allowing Larsson to use his teeth until his death four decades later.