What to Do If You Don’t Have Enough Bone for Dental Implants?
Over time, you can lose your teeth from dental trauma or injury, periodontal disease, dental decay, infections, overcrowding, and development defects. When you lose a tooth, your facial appearance, function, and self-confidence are greatly affected. The adjacent teeth tend to move towards the gap, leading to misalignments.
Similarly, the underlying jawbone tends to shrink due to a lack of chewing stimulation. The longer missing teeth are left untreated, the more the jawbone deteriorates and further tooth loss on the adjacent teeth. For these reasons, it’s highly essential to replace lost teeth as soon as possible.
What are Dental Implants?
A dental implant is an ideal solution for replacing missing teeth and preserving your jawbone. An implant is a titanium post or screw that is surgically placed on the jawbone of the missing tooth to replace its roots.
The implant bonds with the underlying jawbone and becomes a permanent part of your mouth. Once the implant heals, a dental crown goes in for additional protection and strength. At this stage, the implant will look, feel, and function just like a natural tooth.
Unfortunately, placing dental implants requires a sufficient and healthy jawbone. An implant needs to bond successfully without failure or complications. Contact our dentist in Edgartown, MA, for dental implants near you.
Insufficient Jawbone? What are Your Options?
Thanks to modern dental technology, there’s no reason not to get dental implants due to bone loss. There are numerous techniques to meet your needs and goals. Once you visit your dentist near you for an exam, they will inspect your jawbone and recommend the available options to you. These can include:
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Bone Grafting
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Sinus Lift
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Graft-Free Solutions
Bone grafting is a surgical procedure to repair and rebuild damaged or weak jawbone, providing a solid foundation for the implant. The procedure entails adding bone or bonelike tissues to the damaged jawbone to stimulate new bone growth. Depending on bone loss, the process can take anywhere from 3 to 9 months.
While bone grafting will postpone your dental implant placement, it will prepare you for a successful procedure. Your dentist can obtain the bone graft material from another part of your body, like the chin or hip. If that’s not an option, you can obtain the graft material from a human donor, animal sources like cows, or artificial sources.
A sinus lift is similar to bone grafting. It involves increasing or lifting the maxillary sinuses with a bone to make room for new bone growth. The maxillary sinus is above the back of your upper jawbone. The procedure is for when there’s an insufficient jawbone in the upper jaw. It takes 3-9 months to heal completely.
Your dentist can also recommend graft-free solutions like all-on-4 implant dentures that require minimal bone. Alternatively, you can consider Zygomatic implants if you have severe bone loss in the upper jaw. Unlike the standard dental implants, Zygomatic implants are anchored into the underside of the cheekbone, offering a secure and stable foundation for the implant.
Alternative Options
If the procedures above aren’t an effective option for you, you can consider alternative replacement treatments like:
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Dental Bridges – A bridge is a fixed tooth-colored device used to replace missing teeth. A single bridge can replace one or more missing teeth. Depending on your condition, preferences, and budget, your bridge supports dental crowns, dental implants, or frameworks of metal or porcelain.
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Dentures – If you’ve lost multiple teeth, a denture is a cost-effective solution. A denture is a removable tooth-colored dental device that replaces missing teeth and gums.
Dental implants offer more stable, long-lasting, and natural results than dental bridges and dentures. An implant can last for a lifetime with proper dental care, while a bridge or denture lasts only 15-20 years.
Final Verdict
You can still get dental implants even if you have insufficient jawbone, as we’ve seen above. For more information about dental implants in Edgartown, MA, contact Edgartown Dental Group today to book your appointment.