Design and material research continues to increase dental
implants’
success rates, which is a widely applied treatment type. The size
and morphology of the implant–bone interface are essential
for implant stability. Our study produced a dental implant with two
artificial tooth roots from NiTi alloy to increase the implant–bone
contact surface. The properties of NiTi alloy, such as transformation
temperature and composition, were determined by material characterization
tests. Using NiTi alloy’s shape memory effect, these artificial
roots at body temperature were programmed with appropriate heat treatments
for the self-fitting feature. Dental-implant-like models are coated
with TiN to prevent Ni ion release. The corrosion tests were performed
in Ringer’s solution to determine the effect of TiN coating
on Ni ion release. The nickel ion emission values showed that the
TiN coating inhibited the release. In addition, it was determined
that the TiN coating increased the shape memory transformation time
of the NiTi alloy. In in vitro tests of NiTi and
TiN-coated NiTi implants, it was observed that they completed self-fitting
by deforming the trabecular bone, but the placement in the cortical
bone was not complete. During the use of a shape memory implant, it
should complete its transformation without contacting the cortical
bone and should not cause a stress concentration.