The Importance of Bone Quality – Southlake, TX
Why Your Jawbone Matters
At Smile Rehab Centers, we can replace any number of teeth with lifelike restorations held in place by dental implants. Compared to traditional dentures and bridges, dental implants offer better stability and chewing power, and they can last for decades as long as they receive proper care. However, before Dr. Bay can place dental implants, she will need to confirm that there’s enough bone in your jaw to support the posts. Here’s why bone quality matters when it comes to getting new teeth.
The Importance of a Stable Foundation
You can think of a dental implant as a prosthetic tooth root. It is designed to be placed in your jawbone so that it can support a crown, bridge, or denture. In order for your implant post to succeed, it needs to form a strong bond with the surrounding bone tissue through a process called osseointegration. But if there’s not enough bone in the area, osseointegration will fail, making the implant unstable.
For this reason, we will perform a CBCT scan of your mouth to confirm that there’s enough bone density in the areas of your jaw where dental implants need to be inserted. In cases where there isn’t enough bone density, it might still be possible for you to get dental implants after you’ve received a bone graft.
How Can Bone Loss Affect Your Ability to Get Dental Implants?
In addition to helping you chew and speak properly, your teeth have one other very important function: they stimulate the jawbone to prevent it from deteriorating. If you lose even one tooth, the lack of stimulation will lead to bone loss in your jaw.
Consequently, if it has been a while since you’ve lost your teeth, there might not currently be enough bone in your jaw to support your dental implant posts. This is part of the reason why bone grafting is often required before dental implant placement; in many cases, bone loss has already occurred in the areas where dental implants need to be placed. As such, if you want to use dental implants to restore your smile, you’ll want to have the procedure done as soon as possible after the initial tooth loss.
How Dental Implants Keep Your Jawbone Strong
One of the many advantages of dental implants is that they can help you preserve your jaw. They provide the surrounding bone with the same kind of stimulation that it would typically receive from the natural teeth. This prevents the deterioration that would normally happen after tooth loss.
Since traditional dentures and bridges do not interface with your jaw, they can’t do anything to prevent the loss of bone density. Dental implants are currently the only form of tooth replacement available that can help you maintain a healthy jaw while simultaneously letting you enjoy a complete smile again.
Is there anything else you want to know about your jawbone health and how it can affect your ability to get dental implants? Feel free to call us today to schedule a consultation.