A guide to bone loss and advanced grafting or sinus augmentation services
Dr. Boyd’s team has taken their training and investments in technology to new heights. They distinguish themselves and Urgent Dental of Denver favorably from other dental practices and emergency providers in the greater metro area, northern Colorado, and beyond with an array of advanced in-house capabilities. Notably, they have the tools and know-how to provide cutting-edge dentistry services. These services include complex surgical procedures, from extracting partially impacted wisdom teeth to placing dental implants. Other dentists do not have the training or technologies to place implants. Additionally, Dr. Boyd’s team can prepare the implant site with bone grafting services. Their ability to build up and restore soft and hard tissues, such as bone, helps many patients with the loss of jawbone structure suitable candidates for teeth replacement with implants.
Bone loss: What it is, why it’s a problem
When you lose a tooth, you also lose bone in the jaw if you do not replace the tooth promptly. For this reason, we recommend restoring lost teeth sooner rather than later following the dental extraction or tooth removal. In fact, you may even be a candidate for immediate or same-day tooth replacement procedures. These and other approaches help to prevent bone loss from arising in the first place. This destructive process occurs when the bone in the jaw does not get the stimulation needed to stay strong and dense from the teeth. The energy from behaviors such as grinding down food with the teeth is transferred from the teeth through the roots to the supportive jawbone. Without teeth, the bone begins to shrink or “resorb.” This starts immediately and occurs rapidly, with up to an estimated 25% of bone at the extraction site being lost within one year after the loss or removal of a tooth. Bone loss can preclude you from benefiting from the “gold standard” in replacement teeth: crowns, bridges, or dentures supported by dental implants. After all, the implant functions as a tooth root. So, the implant requires suitable bone to, in turn, provide a solid foundation for and stabilize the attached replacement tooth properly.
Bone grafting to the rescue!
The process of “grafting” generally involves taking tissue from one part of your mouth or body (or from other sources) and then transferring the “graft” to the area that has sustained bone loss and could use augmentation or build-up. Most individuals usually tolerate the procedure very well, and we are also happy to discuss options like sedation to help keep you relaxed and comfortable throughout treatment. The process may even be performed during the same appointment as any extractions that may be necessary. Once the treatment site has healed and the graft has joined to the rest of the bone in the jaw, we are ready to move forward with the process of positioning the implant(s). You are well on your way to achieving a healthy and complete smile.
No case is too complex for Dr. Boyd’s team. The loss of bone in the upper jaw can be particularly challenging because of the close proximity to the sinus cavity. However, Dr. Boyd’s team uses advanced diagnostics for precision planning and is also trained in precision techniques to safely and predictably build up bone in the upper back part of the jaw – a procedure called “sinus lift” or “sinus augmentation.”
The jawbone provides support to the facial tissues and helps to retain youthful contours and healthy functions – chewing and speech. Healthy, supporting bone is also necessary to ensure the long-term success of your implant-retained crowns, bridges, and dentures. Call (720) 573-2629 today with questions and to schedule an appointment at Urgent Dental of Denver, CO.
