What's treading?

The New York Times reported that the Swedish orthopedic surgeon who accidentally discovered the modern dental implant, Dr. Per-Ingvar Brånemark, died on December 20 in Gothenburg, Sweden at the age of 85. In a study not originally focused on its dental applications, Dr. Brånemark discovered in 1952 that titanium would fuse with bone tissue. The Times went on to chronicle the history of Dr. Brånemark’s implant discovery.

We cannot overemphasize the contribution that Dr. Brånemark has made to the fields of implant dentistry and orthopedics. Previous to his discovery of titanium’s potential to bond with bone, dental implants were considered the domain of charlatans.

On a personal note, I was exposed to this bias in dental school. In 1984, I was educated in this new and well-researched dental paradigm. Several major advances have occurred in the past 30 years following my dental implant training. We are now able to offer patients a variety of alternatives that will successfully address missing teeth.