The Relationship Between Dental Resorption And Dental Implants
If you know anything about tooth loss you’ll know that bone resorption can be a real problem. As the jaw thins it not only adds years onto your physical features but it becomes problematic for dentures to fit. Often the only option is dental implants. Richmond based Sheen Dental have been placing dental implants for many years and during this time have been referred patients who can no longer realistically have dentures. That said, the relationship between dental implants and bone loss isn’t a simple one either.
Primarily for a dental implant to have the best chances of success it needs to be placed into sufficient bone mass. Clearly for those who’ve suffered from long term bone resorption, having enough bone mass to support an implant could be a problem. So what are the alternatives?
Mini implants
Rather then conventional dental implants a patient might well be a candidate for mini implants. As the name suggests a mini implant is smaller that a standard one, meaning that it doesn’t need quite so much bone mass to be anchored into. However the downside is that it should only be fitted into certain areas in the mouth where the bite force isn’t so great as it lacks the strength that a conventional implant has.
Bone augmentation
The other alternative is to have a bone augmentation procedure. This is where bone tissue cells (usually taken from a bone bank) are transplanted onto the area where the implants need to be placed. Over time they should merge and fuse with the original tissue cells to form a larger expanse of area into which a conventional implant can be placed. The procedure itself is commonplace and is something that any experienced implant dentist would have carried out hundreds of times before. It’s a relatively quick process that is normally carried out at the clinic itself rather than a hospital. The downside is that time is needed for the new bone to fuse (usually between 6 weeks and 3 months) and therefore anyone considering dental implants won’t be able to go ahead until the area is fully healed and grown. The other downside, of course, is that it’s an added cost.
So is there an alternative solution?
The good news is that dental implants are the only form of tooth restoration that’s known to halt the bone loss process altogether so once they’re in, you shouldn’t have any further problems with thinning gums or jaw. However to avoid bone resorption altogether it’s best to seek dental help as soon as you experience a missing tooth. This way bone loss won’t have time to take hold and this really is the key. By acting quickly, bone loss will never be a problem.
To find out more about bone loss and dental implants in Richmond, talk to Sheen Dental. To make an appointment you can either book online by visiting www.sheendentalimpants.co.uk or alternatively contact us direct on 020 8876 5277. We look forward to hearing from you.