种植牙简史
A brief history of dental implants

在人类的早期文明，已经发现牙缺失修复的益处。考古学家发现了古代人头骨，已经用了类似铸造的铁和经过修饰的贝壳来进行牙缺失的修复。尽管材料和方法原始，但事实上这些早期的种植体已经和骨骼融合在一起了。这种融合被称为骨结合，这是种植牙成功的必要条件。

Even early civilizations recognized the benefit of tooth replacement. Archeologists have recovered ancient skulls where teeth were replaced by materials such as cast iron and carved sea shells. Despite primitive methods and materials, some of these early implants actually fused with the bone. This fusion is called osseointegration, and is necessary for implants to be successful.

钛材料的种植体在20世纪70年代已经开始广泛使用。钛有轻和坚固的特点，不被人体排斥（生物相容性好）。钛被广泛的应用与骨关节置换和牙科种植。在外科领域，牙科对钛金属的应用拥有最高的成功率。

Titanium dental implants have been placed extensively since the 1970s. Titanium offers the benefit of being lightweight and strong, and is not rejected by the body (biocompatible). It is the most widely used metal in orthopedic joint replacement and dental implants. Dental implants have the highest success rate of any implanted surgical device.