If you suffer from a missing tooth or chronic dental issues, it’s not just your smile that is affected—your entire health can be impacted. This includes your speech, diet, and lifestyle. You might experience pain, fatigue, or even the potential for increased wear and damage to other teeth. But the problem can often go even deeper. When a tooth is missing and not replaced, the loss does not stop there, 25% of people lose their supporting jawbone structure within the first year after tooth loss. That’s why many people turn to dental implants and bone grafting for help. But how can they help you live a healthier, fuller life after tooth loss? To start, let’s talk about what bone grafting and dental implants are, and how they work together.
What Is Bone Grafting?
When a tooth is lost, the area in the jawbone is often compromised. As time passes and the bone continues to atrophy, you’ll notice negative side effects such as changes to your appearance or difficulty speaking and eating. Bone grafting is the answer to this problem.
Bone grafting helps rebuild the damaged jawbone while simultaneously promoting new growth. Taken from either organic or synthetic material, bone grafting is a common first step for many dental implant surgeries. There are several different types of oral bone grafting surgery, and which type you need depends on the location of the new bone, the severity of the bone loss, and the structure of your face.
Different Types of Bone Grafting Procedures:
- Socket Preservation — this procedure is performed immediately after tooth extraction and involves the placement of grafting material into the socket.
- Sinus Lift—If a tooth loss occurs near the thin, bony area near the sinuses, a lift might be necessary to create a thicker and sturdier base for an implant to be eventually placed.
- Ridge Augmentation — may be performed in one area after a tooth extraction or the entire ridge may require more height/width.
- Nerve Repositioning—This procedure involves repositioning the inferior alveolar nerve and is usually a last resort.
What Is A Dental Implant?
Dental implants are advanced artificial tooth roots that serve as a permanent and secure base for prosthetic teeth. Think of them as a foundation meant to improve the quality of your jawbone and offer you a lifetime of improved oral health.
Dental implants are made up of three parts—the implant, abutment, and crown. They live beneath the gum and support the prosthetic tooth on top. This design allows them to look, feel, and act like natural teeth, making them the go-to for patients facing tooth loss. Here are even more benefits to dental implants:
- Optimal Performance
- Long-Lasting Solution
- Natural Appearance
- Improved Facial Structure
- Stabilizes Adjacent Teeth
- High Success Rate
- Enhanced Speech Capabilities
- Reduces the Risk of Cavities
- Elevated Confidence
Dental Implant Procedure Steps:
Like all other medical procedures and surgeries, an initial consultation is necessary to determine if you are the right candidate for an implant. Your oral and maxillofacial surgeon will do a complete oral exam, take X-rays, and talk about your goals. The actual procedure will take about 30-60 minutes and include small incisions in your jaw and the use of anesthesia.
After the surgery, the following 3-6 months are the most crucial. This healing phase is known as osseointegration. During this time, the implant fuses to the bone permanently. You’ll have to be placed on a soft foods diet and avoid any activity that could damage or shift the implant. The final stage in the implant procedure is tooth restoration. This occurs after the mouth has fully healed and a prosthetic tooth is attached to the implant. You can expect to wait anywhere from 6 months to a year for this step.
Back
