**2.3 Metals as dental implants**

In the field of dental implanting, metals are widely selected based on factors that involve properties belong to its biomechanical characteristics, machining characteristics, and surface finishing characteristics as well. In the present day, metals, such as

**Figure 1.** *SEM-image of hydroxyapatite.*

#### *Novel Dental Implants with Herbal Composites: A Review DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101489*

Co-Cr, stainless steel, and gold are quite outdated in the dental implant industry and the currently available dental metals are alloys of titanium and zirconium as well. Certain components of dental implants such as the abutment screws and some attachments of the implants are also made of alloys of gold, stainless steel, and Co-Cr. Titanium is mostly considered as an effective material by most of the dentists for its wide intraosseous applications. It has enormous and typical properties, such as lesser readily affected or corroded by the environment, high resistance to chemical dosing, and capability to repair on its own. The resistance to being deformed elastically—modulus of elasticity was very compatible with that of bone and titanium oxide [11, 12]. Although titanium is a typical material suitable for dental implanting, it faces a lot of shortfalls. These drawbacks and detrimental properties of titanium ultimately resulted in prompting the scientists to look and research the new implant from other biomaterials [13].

The next innovation to overcome the said shortfalls led to the development of ceramic implants [14]. And as a result of this zirconia is used as another material for dental inserts. This in turn contrasted with metallic components zirconia demonstrated the least particle discharge and they are thought to be dormant in the body [15]. Zirconia acts as a tooth-like shading and possesses great mechanical properties and has great biocompatibility. In such a way, it is by all accounts an appropriate dental material [16]. The utilization of zirconia implants keeps a strategic distance from the inconvenience and acquiesces to the demand of numerous patients without metal inserts. The material additionally gives high quality, crack sturdiness, and biocompatibility [17]. There are various materials used for fabricating endosseous dental implants like titanium, titanium alloy, stainless steel, alumina, carbon, bioglass, polyurethane, etc. [18–20].

A novel implant, the ceria-stabilized zirconia-alumina-aluminate composite was developed and was established for its significant effect that it is not prone to aging. This implant represents a probable alternative to the yttrium-stabilized zirconia that is used for ceramic oral implants. This implant was evaluated for its long-term stability due to its make with Ce-TZP-comp and it proved a significant lowest fracture load after combined loading/aging [21].

#### **2.4 Polymers**

A variety of polymers have been utilized as dental implant materials [22]. A portion of the polymer materials is polymethylmethacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, and polysulfone, etc. When polymer acts as a coating layer, inferior mechanical properties, lack of adhesion to living tissues, and adverse immunologic reactions are eliminated [23–26]. In the present day, polymeric materials are constrained to assemble the shock retaining segments joined into the superstructures bolstered by inserts [26]. A wide variety of biomaterials have found profound applications in the form of inserts. This type of insert in implantology requires a suitable biomaterial of choice. The presently available biomaterials, such as bioceramics and other composite biomaterials, are under higher consideration and the precise examination of such biomaterial definitely have a promising future in the field of dental applications.

## **3. Herbal composites in dentistry**

Herbal medicine is an indigenous system of traditional Hindu medicine and is native to the Indian subcontinent. Contemporary practices derived from ayurvedic traditions are also a type of alternative medicine. Ayurveda recommends some daily use therapeutic procedures for the prevention of and maintenance of oral health. It involves Dant Dhavani (brushing), Jivha Lekhana (tongue scrapping), and Gandoosha (gargling) or even oil pulling and tissue regeneration therapies. Various herbs are widely used in dentistry and they are aloe vera [27], cloves [28], eucalyptus [29], peppermint [30], and turmeric [31].
