Dental implants are made of titanium, a metal that has special qualities that make it useful for this purpose.

Titanium develops a thin film on its surface that protects it from corrosion. It is resistant to acids, salt solutions and oxygen, among other things. Titanium also is almost completely nonmagnetic and is extremely strong for its weight.

The body does not reject titanium implants as foreign objects. When implants are placed in bone, the bone grows around the implant in a process called osseointegration.

Titanium implants come with many types of surfaces, including acid etched, plasma sprayed, acid etched and grit blasted, and hydroxyapatite coated. Hydroxyapatite is a part of what bone is made from. It bonds with bone in a process called biointegration.

There are many dental implant systems on the market and it is important to ask your surgeon which system he/she will be using.