Titanium Medical Industry Uses

Titanium Medical Industry Uses

Titanium is used in a variety of industries including recreation, defense, dentistry and medicine. Yes, the same material used in building airplanes are also used in heart valves. The toughness, strength and durability of titanium rivals that of steel, but it is significantly lighter. These elements have been what has made titanium popular for military applications such as building rockets and airplanes. As more studying and experimentation of the metal have been conducted, another unique element of titanium has been exposed: its biocompatibility. It is this special element that has now made it popular in both the dental and medical fields. It is biocompatible, meaning that it is readily accepted by the body. This special element makes titanium crucial in the medical field.

History of Titanium in the Medical Field

The biocompatibility element of titanium caught the attention of dentists who began using it in dental procedures in the 1940s. It was in the following decade that titanium began to be used in the medical field. Titanium’s first use in the medical field was in surgical instruments. It was in the following decade, the 1960s, that titanium became the preferred metal in the medical. As more and more is being learned about this amazing metal, the more medical uses it is found in. Today, the use of titanium in the medical field extends way beyond surgical equipment. It is now used in joint replacements to better patients’ lives and in life-saving devices such as replacement heart valves and pacemakers. Now, titanium is the metal of choice in a variety of medical applications from prosthetics to plates inserted into the body.

Common Titanium Medical Industry Uses

Below are the most common usages of titanium in the medical field:

Prosthetics such as titanium plates, pins, rods and cages that are inserted into the body.

Hip and knee replacement surgery. Titanium is also used in other joint replacements including shoulder and elbow joints.

In beauty products that enhance one’s looks such as in breast implants and strands for false eyelashes.

Replacement heart valves.

Surgical Instruments including retractors, surgical tweezers, scissors, surgical forceps, suture instruments, needles and needle holders.

Dental tooth implants.

Hearing aids.

False eye implants.

Spinal fusion cages.

Toe implants.

The medical applications and uses of titanium has grown rapidly since it was first used in the 1950s. As more is being learned about titanium and the growing medical needs of an aging baby boomer population is sure to open the doors for even more medical uses and application.