Does Your Smile Need Bone Grafting Before Implant Placement?
March 2, 2020
Sometimes, losing your teeth causes negative changes to your bone tissue. You lose the mass and density in your jawbone, which can mean supporting new teeth, like dental implants, could be difficult. However, your Kansas City, MO, dentist can help prepare your smile with jaw surgery or bone grafting. Before you know it, you can enjoy a healthy and whole smile again!
Preparing Your Smile for Dental Implants
Our body continuously provides doses of calcium and phosphorus to the jawbone, which helps keep the structure secure and able to withstand and absorb bite forces and other pressures. However, when we lose one or more of our teeth, the body stops sending these nutrients to the jawbone around missing teeth. Eventually, the bone tissue begins to break down, losing mass and density. Over time, this not only leads to further tooth loss, but can also cause serious changes to facial structure as well, leading to an aged appearance. If there isn’t enough jawbone tissue to adequately support a new tooth root, then we can’t replace missing teeth with dental implants.
Jawbone Surgery
First, we may recommend jawbone surgery to address any imbalance in your jaw joints. Your temporomanibular joints connect your jaw and skull, enabling the movements that allow us to eat and speak. However, if tooth loss causes serious strain and negative changes to this movement, discomfort could arise that complicates your daily life, including your ability to remove new teeth. With this surgery, we ease the strain and restore balance to your smile. The improved symmetry offers better comfort and allows you to start the process of tooth replacement.
Bone Grafting
With bone grafting, our team rebuilds and strengthens the jawbone tissue with an oral surgical procedure. Restoring this structure prevents an aged appearance, and shores up the structure to allow us to safely insert one or more dental implants, providing a long-lasting tooth replacement option, one that looks natural and restores your ability to eat and speak without difficulty. If you have lost one or more of your teeth and haven’t sought treatment, please contact our team today. If we find you need surgery to restore symmetry and bone structure, we can start you on the road toward a full, functional, and attractive new smile!
Do You Have Questions About Oral Surgery?
Our team can help prepare your smile for implant dentistry, so you can enjoy a lifelike replacement tooth that lasts for many years to come. Don’t allow tooth loss to cause problems for your quality of life and self-confidence, then talk to our team about possible solutions today. To learn more about our oral surgery procedures and our approach to tooth replacement with implant dentistry, then schedule a consultation by calling Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry of Kansas City, MO, today at 816-427-4018.