Dental Implants in San Antonio are a common tooth replacement option for patients suffering from missing teeth. Implants have come a long way since the first recorded existence of such a procedure, as early as 2500 BC. Implants back then were extremely crude often made out of everything from gold ligature wire to pieces of seashells. In fact, early Hondurans even used stones hammered into the jaw as dental implants—talk about painful! Thankfully with the advent and constant evolution of the computer age and medical technology, dental implants in San Antonio have advanced greatly.
The Experts For Dental Implants In San Antonio
At Stone Ridge Dental our team has decades of merged experience and research that works together with emergent technology. This ensures that our patients not only get the smile they deserve but the most advanced methods and materials as well. The results are phenomenal—replacement teeth that are indistinguishable from natural teeth in all ways.
Our dental implants feel like natural teeth, they function just the same, and the most noticeable feature—they are identical to natural teeth. Our use of proven, cutting-edge technology has made dental implant results predictable and cost-effective. No more spending upwards of $5,000 every 5-7 years to replace worn-out dentures. No more worn out veneers and chipped crowns—the technology has made it so that implants are equal to or more durable than natural teeth.
But how is all this possible? Well, it’s similar to implant technology for other parts of the body such as knees, hips, and other high-intensity joints. Just like these joints endure a lot of force and constant wear, your teeth endure the same force. With the constant chewing, speaking, and swallowing, teeth come into contact with each other thousands of times a day. That is a lot of friction, wear, and tension being exerted on them, so replacements must be exceptionally strong and durable.
Dental Implants In San Antonio: Past, Present, And Future
To understand just how amazing today’s dental implants are in terms of their technological achievements you must look to the past. As mentioned, some of the earliest dental implants were very crude, unsafe, and not at all comfortable. Back then the technology only afforded for concerns of limited function, not aesthetics, safety, or comfort. After all, how else can you explain hammering sharpened stones into your jaw for teeth?
Doctors back then used what was available to them, and as time progressed, implants progressed as well. Fast forward to the 1600s and you’ll even find a form of tooth transplant experiments in Europe by Dr. John Hunter. For about 200 years beginning around 1600, teeth were collected from cadavers that were also used to study anatomy. These teeth were then embedded into the comb of a rooster where they discovered it “bonded” with the comb. This would be the precursor study that would spur the rapid advancement of implant technology as we know it today.
Over 300 years later, the mark of Dr. Hunter’s study was evident, albeit with more advanced materials. This naturally was due to the discovery of specific minerals and metals since his study. These advanced materials ended up culminating in the modern implants we see today.
The Emergence of Titanium
When it comes to the actual substance of dental implants in San Antonio dental offices, Titanium is by far the biggest advancement. Dr. Schroder and Dr. Straumann, both from Switzerland, experimented with the metals used in orthopedic surgery. Their thoughts were, that if the metal used in joint replacement—titanium, could endure such force, why not use it for dental implants? They were absolutely right and thus advancements in implants centered around coatings for the titanium implants and the way they mounted.
The reason for the different mounts and coatings was to foster quicker osseointegration (bonding) and healing time. The most recent innovation in dental implants involve coatings of fluoride and antibiotics to help with the process.
Titanium is now considered the gold standard for dental implants and is used for dental implants in San Antonio and worldwide. Titanium is biocompatible, so your body will not reject it, it’s incredibly strong while remaining lightweight, and it will not corrode.
In fact, Titanium is such a perfect material for modern dental implants, that advancements and focus have shifted. Now, prosthodontists are constantly improving on the cosmetics of the restorations and the actual procedure. The goal is to make the restorations even more durable and lifelike, as well as streamlining the process and increasing accuracy.
The Precision Required For Lifelike Results
The creation of dental implant prosthetics, whether it’s full mouth reconstruction or single tooth replacement, requires artistic and scientific precision. It’s not enough to just have technical experts on our team who are skilled prosthodontists. We also require the expertise of artists that can re-create the delicate intricacies of natural teeth on synthetic materials.
A natural tooth that has not been worn down does not have a perfectly smooth surface. It’s a slightly rippled surface that has very fine grooves that traverse horizontally across. These grooves are called perikymata and to create lifelike teeth, they must be precisely reproduced. It’s just as important as matching shade, size, and shape of the restoration to match other teeth. These grooves affect the reflective properties of the restoration. If the reflection is different than neighboring teeth, it will stand out like a sore thumb even if the shape and size are dead-on accurate. It is the smallest of details such as this that can make the difference in loving your new smile.
Also, a precisely matched crown should submerge itself in your mouth and have some depth of translucency and layered color. Point and ridge angles must be precise and blend with existing teeth and not interfere with your dental arches. The crowns must also allow diffusion of natural light transmission—something that basic metal-ceramic crowns can’t do.
When you factor in all the fine details and intricacies of reproducing the appearance of natural teeth accurately —it’s incredibly intensive. Fortunately, the advancement in computer-aided design, 3-D modeling and printing, and milling have made the process very precise. However, not all dental practices are willing or able to burden the heavy expense involved in such technology and artistry.
We Lead The Forefront For Dental Implants In San Antonio
At Stone Ridge Dental, we are San Antonio’s experts for immediate, full mouth reconstruction. Using breakthrough technology, we’re able to do what very few practices in the world can—restore your smile perfectly, in a single day.
But that’s not all, allow us to introduce you to the future of dentistry— the Zirkonzahn milling machine. At Stone Ridge Dental, we’re proud to be one of the few dental practices in the world with this machine. It allows us to provide the most advanced in dental prosthetic manufacturing technology. More durable than porcelain, this is the strongest dental material on the market today. Our patients are able to get a fully customized, state-of-the-art smile that is sure to last a lifetime.
Chipped or cracked ceramic veneers are a thing of the past. Our world-class team will craft the perfect smile— from teeth color, size, shape, position, and alignment to completely restore your teeth in a single day. Superior design, unrivaled quality, and expedited procedure time—we provide nothing but the absolute best for our patients.
Get the smile you deserve. Come see why we truly believe that our heart is in your smile at Stone Ridge.
