When you experience tooth loss, your immediate impulse may be to replace them as soon as possible. However, many people hesitate or wait to replace their lost teeth, or don’t choose an implant-supported restoration right away. This can leave their smiles susceptible to the continuing consequences that result from the loss of your natural teeth roots, which include a loss of mass and density in your dental ridge’s bone structure. Addressing this loss may be a critical part of restoring your smile, and before receiving dental implants to replace your lost teeth, you may benefit from surgical jawbone grafting.
What happens when you lose teeth roots?
The loss of strength and integrity in your dental ridge and the need for jawbone grafting can arise for a variety of reasons, but one of the most common involves the loss of your natural teeth roots. Of the many potential consequences of tooth loss, those that result from the missing space where your tooth root used to be can often be the most profound. For example, after losing a tooth root, the area of your jawbone that supported it will no longer receive any stimulation when you bite and chew. The lack of stimulation causes the bone to resorb and your body will stop sending as many minerals and nutrients to your jawbone structure.
What you need to receive dental implants
One of the best things about replacing your lost teeth with dental implants is that they give your restoration the ability to stop the loss of mass and density in your dental ridge. Implant posts mimic healthy teeth roots, and as such, they can stimulate your jawbone every time your restoration absorbs pressure from biting and chewing. However, for dental implant posts to be successfully placed within your jawbone, it must retain an ample amount of mass and density to accept the posts. If you’ve lost some of that mass and density and your jawbone has grown weaker, jawbone grafting might be necessary before you can receive your dental implant posts.
How a jawbone graft procedure can help
Jawbone grafting is the process of surgically grafting a small amount of donor bone structure and/or biocompatible grafting material to the weakened section of your dental ridge. The goal is to increase the bone structure’s strength and integrity by restoring some of the mass and density that it has lost, making it more able to bond to your dental implant posts after they’ve been placed.
Learn about bone grafting before dental implants
For some people, strengthening their jawbone with a surgical graft could be necessary before they can successfully receive dental implants. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling the Dental Centre of Conroe in Conroe, TX, today at (936) 441-4600.