Titanium materials, unalloyed as well as their alloys, have been used for many years, among others, also to a considerable extent in medical technology. The fields of application are diverse and some examples are listed below:
Hip, knee, shoulder, spine, elbow, and hand joint replacement materials Bone, nail, screw, nut, and plate dental implants and parts for orthodontic surgery and dental prostheticsHeart pacemaker housings and artificial heart valvesSurgical instruments for cardiac and ophthalmic surgeryComponents in high-speed blood centrifugeVacancies and wheelchairs For a long period of time, implant materials to be introduced into the human body must be able to a. biocompatible, corrosion resistant, tissue compatible and elastic. These requirements are fulfilled 100% depending on the titanium material used.
For implants or other parts which are not subjected to any great stress in the human body, the unalloyed titanium qualities are mainly used, and for endoprostheses and instruments primarily titanium alloys. In the dental field, both the pure titanium materials material no. 3.7025 and 3.7035 as well as the titanium alloys such as e.g. TiAl6V4, material no. 3.7165, used as implant material and in the field of dental prosthetics. The titanium materials used for these areas offer complete taste neutrality. Titanium is an excellent alternative especially for patients who react with allergies or toxic reactions to the various conventional dental alloys. Also from the viewpoint of corrosion resistance, titanium is u. a. highly recommended in dentistry. The titanium alloy TiAl6V4 previously used in medical technology continues to be used. A significant development of this alloy in some applications is that the toxic element vanadium is replaced by suitable biocompatible elements. In the case of titanium alloy TiAl5Fe2.5, this has been achieved by substitution with iron while retaining the very good static and dynamic properties of the parent alloy. These very good material features find their positive acceptance in recent years in an annually increasing use of titanium alloys as an implant material.