Most of today's conventional dental implants are made out of a titanium alloy, in order to improve their physical properties such as tensile strength and elasticity.
Pure Titanium
(Courtesy of Prof. B. Müller, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen)
Why is titanium so unique when it comes to dental implants and osseointegration? What are its properties, and is it safe?
Let's start with the chemical properties:
Name: Titanium
Symbol: Ti
Atomic Number: 22
Atomic Mass: 47.867 amu
Melting Point: 1660.0 °C (3020.0 °F)
Boiling Point: 3287.0 °C (5948.6 °F)
Number of Protons/Electrons: 22
Number of Neutrons: 26
Classification: Transition Metal
Crystal Structure: Hexagonal
Density @ 293 K: 4.54 g/cm3
Color: silverish
Titanium was discovered in 1791 by the
Reverend William Gregor, an English pastor.
Pure titanium was first produced by Matthew A.
Hunter, an American metallurgist, in 1910.
Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the
earth's crust. and is primarily found in the minerals rutile (TiO2), ilmenite (FeTiO3) and sphene (CaTiSiO5). Titanium makes up about 0.57% of the earth's crust.
Titanium is still the material of choice for dental implants today. The original commercially pure titanium implants have largely been replaced by their TiAl6V4 counterparts, featuring much better mechanical properties and the same level of osseointegration. Further advancements were made in the surface treatment of titanium implants. Most implants nowadays feature some type of "roughened" surface, thus effectively increasing the surface area bone can attach to.
Titanium is a strong, light metal. It is as strong as steel and twice as strong as aluminum, but is 45% lighter than steel and only 60% heavier than
aluminum. Titanium is not easily corroded by sea water and is used in propeller shafts, rigging and other parts of boats that are exposed to sea water. Titanium and titanium alloys are used in airplanes, missiles and rockets where strength, low weight and resistance to high temperatures are important. Since titanium does not react within the human body, it is used to create artificial hips, pins for setting bones and for other biological implants. Unfortunately, the high cost of titanium has limited its widespread use.
Titanium
