Why Bone Loss Occurs After Tooth Removal
Here at Sheen Dental we regularly place dental implants in Richmond patients and it is one of the most popular forms of tooth replacement for missing teeth. We always recommend that a tooth is replaced as quickly as possible once it has been lost or extracted. The reason being that following the loss of a tooth, the bone in the jaw starts to lose volume. The technical name for this is alveolar ridge resorption. A bit of a mouthful, we know, but we feel that it’s important that patients understand what causes bone loss following tooth extraction and, more importantly what can be done to limit this.
Why bone loss occurs after extraction
The teeth you are born with are embedded into a portion of the jawbone called the alveolar. When you bite into food and chew it, these actions stimulate the bone, helping to keep it strong. Once a tooth is missing, then that part of the alveolar no longer receives the stimulation that it needs and begins to deteriorate and resorb. In effect the body is tricked into thinking that this part of the bone is no longer needed. This breakdown of the bone is made even worse when a person wears traditional dentures since they put pressure on the top surface of the bone, actually accelerating the resorption process. This is why once snug fitting dentures begin to loosen and move around as the loss of bone causes the facial structure to alter.
The rate at which bone “melts” away and the amount that is lost differs from one individual to the next, however most of the loss occurs within 18 months following tooth extraction, and continues for the rest of their life. It’s been shown that bone loss which occurs during the first year following tooth extraction happens at a rate which is 5 times greater than at any other time.
How can bone loss be prevented?
The very best way to prevent bone loss is to have a dental implant in Richmond once a tooth has been extracted. The titanium implant is secured into the jawbone during oral surgery and after a few months fuses with the surrounding bone to become a secure structure on which a prosthetic crown or set of dentures can be fixed. The implant simulates a tooth root and as a person starts to bite and chew, the tension applied stimulates the bone and promotes healthy bone growth. So, as you can see stimulation causes bone growth whereas pressure causes bone loss. This applies both to individual missing teeth as well as multiple teeth.
If you’d like to learn more about dental implants then visit our website at www.sheendentalimplantsl.co.uk or to book a free consultation with Dr. Harmit Kalsi and the team give Sheen Dental a call on 020 8876 5277. We look forward to hearing from you.