Our teeth play a vital role in biting, chewing, and speaking. It is also interesting to know the fact that our teeth play an important role in keeping the jawbones strong and healthy. The absence of teeth can make the jaw bone weak, atrophied and diseased in the long run. The gold standard solution for replacing lost teeth is getting dental implants. But not all people get dental implants after the loss of a tooth. This waiting period can cause the weakening and loss of the jaw bone beneath the lost tooth. So can people with jaw bone loss get dental implants?
Yes indeed. Inadequate jaw bone may not be suitable for placing conventional dental implants. With the bone grafting techniques, even people with poor jaw bone mass can get dental implants. It needs to be borne in mind that advancement in the field of implantology has made possible to get dental implants with less jaw bone volume too. But the dental implants employed in such scenarios are not the conventional ones but specialized types.
What is a Bone Graft?
Bone Grafting is a procedure where the dentists use different materials to stimulate new bone growth in the receded area. Bone grafts can be taken from different sources like the patient itself (autografts), another person (allografts), from animals or synthetic materials (Xenografts). The graft acts as a stage to allow the nearby and surrounding bone tissue to grow upon the graft. The graft will usually comprise of minerals like calcium, phosphorus, hydroxyapatite, etc. The new bone will eventually grow over the graft and replace the graft material. Bone grafting procedures are usually done in the out-patient department using a bone graft from the patient, another person, from synthetic materials or from an animal source.
What are the benefits of Bone Graft?
- Bone graft help in restoring the original shape of the jaw bone.
- Bone regeneration after bone grafting widens your tooth replacement choices.
- They also greatly improve facial aesthetics.
- Bone grafts also aid in preventing further collapse of the jaw bone and surrounding soft tissues.
- It also can prevent a prematurely aged face.