Dental implants are considered one of the best solutions for the replacement of missing teeth. However, the patient must meet a series of requirements for this treatment to be performed successfully. One of the criteria for successful dental implants is having a sufficient amount of bone, so that the implants remain fixed and healthy in the long run.
This brings us to the question “Is it possible to get dental implants if you have little bone?”. The short answer is yes. People with severe bone loss can still receive dental implants by a qualified oral surgeon. Read on to learn more about the possibilities of getting dental implants for people with bone loss.
The reasons for the loss of one’s natural teeth are many, including extensive or untreated caries, advanced periodontal disease, trauma or any other issue that requires teeth extraction.
Some of the most common causes of bone loss, also known as atrophy, include:
Extracting teeth, for whatever reason, causes the bone to gradually diminish. That’s why it is very important to waste time before getting your dental implants after losing a tooth. The sooner you get your dental implants placed, the better it is for your bone health, otherwise the situation may become more complicated.
Periodontitis, or periodontal disease, is an infectious-inflammatory disease that can gradually destroy the supporting bone tissue of your teeth, if not treated correctly. The risk that the bone available for the placement of your implants may be insufficient gets higher after the teeth are lost due to periodontal disease.
Since dentures rest on your gums, they can accelerate bone loss. The bridges rest on the neighboring teeth of the missing tooth, specifically on both sides of the area where there is no natural tooth. Bone loss can occur in this toothless area.
Another cause for bone loss can be trauma that affects the tooth and the jaw. After the initial trauma, the surrounding area may be damaged and due to this, the density of the bone may be negatively affected.
Extensive decay can cause a tooth infection. If not treated early, tooth decay can destroy a significant amount of bone. After removing the affected teeth, there may be little bone left to place dental implants.
An experienced and qualified dental health specialist will take many factors into consideration before recommending a dental implant solution. Some of these factors include the cause of the patient’s bone loss, how many teeth need to be replaced, the amount of bone that has been lost and the region of the jaw in which bone loss has occurred.
The good news is that techniques in dental implantology have advanced so much that there are many effective solutions for people who don’t have enough bone. In general, dental health specialists will examine and evaluate each case individually and then they will propose one of the following treatments.
Before starting with the dental implant treatment your dentist will perform a surgical procedure to increase your bone mass. Nowadays, biocompatible materials are used which greatly reduces the chances of the body rejecting the materials. The quality of these materials is so good that bone grafting can at times be done during the same surgical procedure, along with the dental implants.
Increasing the bone mass of the jaw through bone grafting can be done in 3 ways:
This procedure is also known as autogenous bone grafting. Using live tissues from the same patient is generally considered as the best source for bone grafts. Usually, your surgeon will take a portion of bone from the chin or the posterior parts of your jaw or even from the hip, to then use for bone grafting.
This bone grafting procedure is known as xenotransplantation. Bone from cattle is most commonly used. However, this type of bone takes longer to osseointegrate, as it comes from a different species.
Synthetic materials, called biomaterials, have made bone grafting possible as well. These synthetic materials act like scaffolding to support the cells of bone formation, which then will grow around them. These materials are also called osteoconductive materials.
This treatment is usually a faster and more comfortable alternative compared to bone grafts. Even after experiencing severe bone loss, some patients will still have some amount of bone where to place dental implants. The areas of bone are called maxillary buttresses. This alternative includes several different techniques, one of which being zygomatic implants.
Zygomatic implants are a type of dental implants which can be placed in a different region of the patient’s bone structure. In cases when bone loss is so severe that it’s impossible to take the conventional approach of placing dental implants directly in the bone underneath the gum line, zygomatic implants simply place the implants in a different location in the jaw.
Whereas bone grafts aim to restore the mass of missing bone structure, so that the dental implants can be placed afterwards, the zygomatic implants technique places the implants in an area of the jaw where there is enough bone. For this reason, unlike bone grafting, zygomatic implants don’t require a series of additional operations to be completed.
The dental needs of each person are different, as everyone faces particular problems. People who have suffered the loss of one or more teeth can count on dental implants as the best solution to restore their smiles and teeth functionality, even if they have little bone.
However, it is important to keep in mind that the techniques necessary to treat this type of case are complicated. Therefore, it’s important that you choose an experienced surgeon with the right specialized training.
Our dental care specialists at City Dental Clinic provide the most advanced equipment and techniques in dental implantology. Our trained professionals have an extensive expertise in providing a variety of dental implants and utilizing the best techniques for successful dental implants, even in cases where the patient suffers from severe bone loss.
Our expert dental surgeons will make sure to evaluate your condition and find out which treatment best suits your needs. Your dental health is safe in the hands of our dentistry professionals, who can guarantee a satisfactory solution to your problem.
