On December 20, 2014, Per-Ingvar Brånemark, the father of modern dental implants, died in his hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden, leaving family, friends and colleagues all over the world in mourning. All of us at Pi are deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Brånemark. Dr. Thomas Balshi and Pi Dental Center have had a long association with Professor Brånemark. Dr. Balshi received his surgical and prosthetic implant training from him and they later collaborated on many dental implant research projects. Brånemark and Balshi have remained long-time friends.
Without the work of Per-Ingvar Brånemark, osseointegrated dental implants might not exist. His discovery of the phenomenon of osseointegration in 1952 and subsequent research has revolutionized the fields of dental, maxillofacial and orthopedic rehabilitation.
Osseointegration refers to a direct structural and functional connection between ordered, living bone and the surface of a load-carrying implant. Dr. Brånemark demonstrated that, under carefully controlled conditions, titanium could be structurally integrated into living bone with a very high degree of long-term predictability.
In the early 1990’s, Professor Brånemark came to Pi Dental Center. During his stay, he visited the clinical facility and also attended our annual “Festival of Formerly Forbidden Foods.” There he was introduced to over 200 of our Brånemark dental implant patients, and saw first-hand the amazing effect that his groundbreaking work had on patients in the U.S.
Dr. Balshi said it succinctly, “Losing Professor Brånemark is like losing a father. He has been an inspiration and a mentor to hundreds of dental colleagues and biomedical researchers all over the world.”
Friends and close associates of Dr. Brånemark, call him “PI.” To honor this great man, our practice incorporated his initials into our company name. This is one of the reasons we are called Pi Dental Center!
In 2015, the world of dentistry will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of applied osseointegration. Pi Dental Center and dental professionals worldwide will celebrate the innovations of Dr. Brånemark and the remarkable benefits of dental implants.
My deepest sympathies to the family, friends, colleagues and patients of Dr. Branemark. I’m sure you able to see all of the lives you’ve changed now because of your contribution to dentistry.
I would like to thank you. My life was one of those lives. Rest peacefully knowing that your work here is incomparable.
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