Placement of dental implant when bone is missing

Some patients do not have enough healthy natural bone to support the dental implants and to place dental implants successfully; jaw must have sufficient bone to support them.

These insufficiencies are the result of:

• ·         Gum disease
• ·         Development defects
• ·         Dental cavities and infection
• ·         Wearing dentures for long term
• ·         An injury or trauma to the face
• ·         Empty spaces left in the mouth after teeth extraction
• ·         After Dental procedures where nothing is done to restore natural bone

Dentists execute an additional procedure prior to dental implantation in order to add bone to the patient’s jaw. So, if the bone under your gum is not wide and tall enough to support the implant then a number of techniques are used to rebuild it. These procedures help in providing a strong and robust foundation for implant-supported teeth. Bone augmentation encompasses a range of procedures, which are used to build bone before placement of dental implants.

Bone augmentation procedures:

·           

      Bone grafting:

It is a surgical procedure to place new bone or replacement material into holes in the bone (defects) or in spaces between or around broken bone (fractures) to aid in healing. Bone grafting is quite a safe and successful procedure involving addition of bone to the jaw by using your own natural bone or by using donor or synthetic bone materials.

Bone grafts are performed after giving local anesthesia as it will numb the areas involved and reduce the anxiety or pain. Patients are usually given antibiotics, pain medication and an antibacterial rinse after the procedure. Implants are placed once the grafted bone has fused or become a strong and unified part of the existing bone.

·         Ridge Expansion:

Ridge Modification is done when the jaw is not wide enough to support dental implants. In this treatment, bone graft material is added to a small ridge, or space.

In few cases implants are placed right after the ridge expansion, while other cases may require 4 to 12 months to allow full healing of the ridge.  Ridge expansion ensures a strong foundation and a long lifespan for the new teeth.

This procedure is also used to correct the unappealing and difficult-to-clean areas that occur in the jawline near missing teeth.

·         Sinus Augmentation:

Sinus augmentation is also called as sinus lift or sinus elevation. Bone augmentation procedure is for those who do not have sufficient natural bone in their jaw area to get dental implant placed. When the back teeth in the upper jaw are missing; they get very difficult to restore. As the natural bone deteriorates over time, the sinus cavity becomes larger. This procedure encompasses the addition of bone below the sinus to place one or more implants. Sinus augmentation causes minimal discomfort and allows the placement of dental implants after 6 to 12 months.

Bone augmentation today is a routine, predictable and painless procedure. Augmentation of bone is important in order to maximize the outcome of dental implant surgery.

When considering implants for the replacement of missing teeth, it is possible that you will be asked to consider grafting to accompany this process. Consult a dentist for Dental Implants in San Diego and get to know if you need bone augmentation before getting implants or not.