Call us on Bone grafting and augmentation
Implants are still possible, even following bone loss
Open call back request
Close call back requestIf you do not have enough bone what can be done?
Bone can be moved or grafted from one site to another or artificial bone can be placed “out of a bottle” to alleviate the need to harvest your own bone. Real or autogenous bone from another site in your mouth or sometimes from other sites such as the hip, is the best option but modern synthetic or bovine bone substitutes work very well and can be used for most of the smaller grafts.
What else causes bone loss?
Whenever a tooth is lost or extracted a considerable amount of the bone that once surrounded the remaining root portion may disappear. This loss can be particularly rapid during the first few months and is described as ‘bone resorption’. Although the rate and amount of bone resorption is highly variable between individuals, it will always occur to some extent, unless specific care is taken to reduce its effects. Sometimes, the simplest measure to minimise bone loss after an extraction is to place the implant immediately or within the first few weeks.
Dentures - Many patients report that after a while their dentures become progressively looser and do not fit as well as they once did. Initially the increased rate of bone loss following extractions is responsible for the observed deterioration of denture fit. Over the long-term it is the direct effect of chewing forces that causes slow resorption of supporting bone. Most people who have had dentures for many years will have needed a reline procedure to compensate for this bone loss. Therefore the longer dentures are worn, the more the amount of bone available for dental implants may be reduced.
Can dental implants preserve bone?
This is one of the best features of the dental implant and is the reason that the implant should be placed around six weeks after tooth loss or even immediately into the tooth socket. The functional forces experienced by the bone when the implants are used for chewing stimulates bone growth and maintains the bone position around the implants. If some time elapses following tooth loss before implants are considered, then the bone volume will be lower and some form of augmentation or grafting may be necessary prior to implant placement.
Does bone grafting affect the length of treatment?
Any bone graft, either your own bone or something from outside, will act simply as a scaffold about which new bone will form, and the scaffold material will then be lost as the bone matures. The time taken for the new bone to grow amongst the scaffold depends on many factors such as patient age and the size of the defect but a period of around three months or more would be normal. The surgeon who performs the operation will decide the best length of time for healing before implant placement.
What are the options?
The idea of bone grafting implies that there is a certain size of dental implant and thus a certain volume of bone necessary to house this implant. However, newer implants are smaller in diameter and length and thus less bone is needed to accommodate these implants. Studies show that the smaller implants work equally well, when placed in the correct location, and less bone augmentation is needed. This is probably the way forward.
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