Dental Implants Can Stop Bone Loss
Dental bone loss and dental implants have not always been compatible. Fortunately, recent proven surgical techniques are changing the game. Today, many people struggling with dental bone loss can look forward to the benefits of dental implants. However, the established process is a little more complex for these cases.
Find out in this article why dental implants require a certain mass of bone in the jawbone to implant properly and see a proven technique that can increase missing bone mass and thus thwart dental bone loss. In this way, patients benefit from strong chewing and a very aesthetic smile thanks to the prostheses on dental implants. But above all, they can stop the bone loss of their jaw, protected by dental implants.
Implants and jawbone without bone loss
In order to properly support dentures, implants are inserted directly into the jawbone. It is therefore necessary to present jaws with a certain amount of bone. They will then be able to receive these implants and ensure their solidity. To do this, the implant must be completely embedded in the bone. It is on this condition that it can adequately fulfill its role of allowing strong chewing, as real teeth do.
To be able to properly receive the dental implant, the bone must have a greater length and width than the implant. Currently, the shortest implants measure 6 mm and have a diameter of about 2 mm. Generally, implants are used that are at least 8 mm in length and 3.5 mm in diameter. Difficult under these conditions to receive implants if one presents a dental bone loss which thins the bone of the jaw. And it can be just as bad if you have developed osteoporosis.
Dental bone loss thwarted
So what if there is dental bone loss that already happened? This is where the surgical advances of recent years come into play. They make it possible to increase the quantity of bone available, thus giving the possibility to patients with dental bone loss to benefit from dental implants. A bone graft is then performed to increase the bone material and make it suitable for receiving dental implants. In other cases where the bone loss is more significant, a healing of approximately 6 months may be necessary before the installation of the implants. In cases where the patient cannot provide bone tissue themselves, donor tissue may be considered. This type of graft (alloderm) also gives good results, in the same way as with the tissues of the patient.
The consequences of dental bone loss before implant placement
Proceeding with a bone graft to fill a dental bone loss before the placement of implants obviously has some repercussions. Fortunately, proper follow-up by the surgeon facilitates healing and the return to comfort. Thus, in the case of a bone graft performed at the same time as the placement of the implants, pain may occur in the following days. In general, the discomfort completely disappears after 5 to 7 days. In addition, additional costs must be taken into consideration. They are then added to the costs required for the placement of dental implants and for the manufacture of dental prostheses.
Dental bone loss is no longer an obstacle to obtaining prostheses on dental implants. The evolution of surgical techniques now allows patients with this problem to have recourse to a bone graft before the placement of implants. They can thus, just like the others, benefit from the advantages of dental implants. We should mention that they gain a strong and reliable chewing as well as a smile in harmony with their physiognomy. Moreover, dental implants provide greater oral health, stimulating the jaw bones and thus stopping their resorption. Patients thus kill two birds with one stone!