Today’s dental implants owe their high rate of success to a long history of trial and error. For instance, a metal known as titanium in 1952 was found to permanently fuse with the bone of a rabbit. For centuries prior to that, however, many attempts were made to restore teeth with rudimentary dental implants but failed. Still, despite these unsuccessful attempts, a lot was learned over the years that helped develop the sturdy, durable dental implants now available. Here’s a brief history of how the modern dental implant came to be.

When you invest in your oral and overall health with dental implants, you’ll want to give your new smile the best odds for success. Thus, your dentist may recommend you undergo a procedure called a bone graft prior to getting your dental implants. But what is a bone graft, and why might you need one? Here’s what you should know about the benefits of this procedure.