Modern-day dental implants were developed in 1952 by a Swedish orthopedic surgeon, Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark. He found that titanium could be integrated into living bone with a very high degree of predictability and did not seem to suffer long-term soft tissue inflammation or ultimate rejection. He discovered at his laboratory in Sweden that titanium integrates with bone, and he called the process “osseointegration.” This revolutionized the realm of implant dentistry.
In 1965, dental implant technology took a significant step forward. The first practical application of osseointegration was performed when titanium fixtures were successfully implanted by Brånemark for an edentulous patient.
