Titanium dental implants fill in the gaps nicely for a mouth with missing teeth! In the middle of the 20th century it was discovered that titanium is a metal that bonds with human bone. This was a revolution in restorative dentistry, meaning that dentists could create a longer-lasting solution to the problem of missing teeth!
How is the titanium part of my dental implant in Hampshire made?
All dental implants start as a solid rod of titanium, which is fed into a lathe in a workshop or dental lab. Threads are cut into the titanium rod (so that eventually the dental implant will anchor the itself firmly into the jawbone of the dental implant patient). It is then cut to length by one machine and then hollowed out by another machine that cuts out threads inside the implant, to make it a threaded and hollowed implant. This is to make it possible to attach the replacement tooth once the titanium base has been implanted.
The implant is then cleaned at a cleaning station and photographed by a machine that carefully measures its dimensions to make sure that it is the correct size. Once computer checked, the implant is placed in a tray with a mesh lid in a metal basket and placed in a “vapour de-greaser” which cleans off any residual oils used in the cutting process. Next, a plastic collar is pressed into the device to protect the rest of the implant while the top is placed in acid to colour it, and is electrolysed in a process called anodising. Now the masking plastic is removed. Then the exterior is anodised and makes the surface more porous to improve the ability of the patients’ jaw to bond with the implant. Once it has been made porous, it is placed into a heated purified tub of water and is sometimes cleaned using sound waves which gently scrub the titanium implant.
What happens next?
At Hampshire dental implants, your dental implant is fitted by your dentist to your jawbone, and over time your jaw bone will mesh with the titanium in the implant, creating a perfect replacement for your missing tooth!