Dental implants have been used for approximately four decades now and the discovery that titanium would be accepted well by the body has made it possible for dentists to provide patients with a sturdy foundation for replacement teeth, which is an improvement cosmetically and also provides proper spacing to keep the remaining teeth in place.

New research points to the possibility of shortening the healing time for this procedure, which would make it even more appealing to the many Americans and people worldwide in need of such surgeries.

It is the thin natural oxide coating on the exterior of the titanium implant that is coming into play, because it is the oxide that determines how well and how quickly the implant is fused into the bone.

There are two distinct improvements of the implant during the healing process.

Both the topography and the conductivity of the oxide surface can be altered and in doing so researchers believe that healing time can be drastically cut down.

It has long been known that a rough surface on the implant made it bond with the bone better, but now it is thought that particular patterns of roughness may make it even more desirable to the body.

Similarly, implants with a slightly more conductive oxide received a better cell response once in place.

To read more about this study, which confirms early animal research and clinical trials, performed by a team from the University of Gothenburg and Astra Teck AB in MoIndal, visit the full article.