Think dental implants are only a recent development? Archeological findings prove otherwise.
Humans have being replacing teeth with root-form implants for thousands of years. Pegs of metal “teeth” have been found in the jawbone of 2000 year old remains from ancient Egypt. Other materials people in the ancient times have employed include seashells, bamboo, ivory and even teeth transplanted from other humans. Imagine what the patient had to endure to replace a lost tooth! Though some were “functional”, with reports of plaque buildup, one cannot imagine the number of failures!
May last year saw the discovery of ancient false teeth in a woman of the Iron Age, some 2800 years ago! Read the article here.
Fortunately the “modern” dental implant has had many years of research since its conception in the 1950s and with techniques better than ever, we can be thankful for less complications and higher success rates.
Oh and bamboo, ivory, and shells are no longer used.