What you need to know about dental implants and bone health.

You may have heard the words “dental implant” mentioned before, and may have even heard that implants are the gold standard for modern-day tooth replacements. But what exactly is a dental implant? A dental implant is a device that is surgically implanted into the jaw to restore a person’s ability to chew and speak if they have missing teeth. It is a surgically placed post in the jaw that functions as a tooth-root replacement and as the base for dental prosthesis. 

If you have experienced tooth loss, you might be curious about what options are available to you to fix your smile. The truth is that missing teeth, whether you’re missing one tooth or have no teeth at all, affects more than your self-esteem. The spaces left from missing teeth also affect your jaw bone’s strength, chewing ability, and bite alignment over time. 

Because so much in your mouth can be affected by missing teeth, you want replacements that will give you a full, beautiful smile, preserve your jaw bone integrity, restore oral function, and prevent other teeth from shifting. 

That is where dental implants come in. Dental implants are extremely versatile. In fact, many Highland Park residents recommend Dallas Cosmetic Dental to perform their cosmetic dental procedures, including dental implants. Our team can replace teeth individually with a single implant, or replace entire arches using several implants and implant-supported dentures. 

Why is bone health important for dental implants?

The foundation of a dental implant is placed in the jaw bone, so it’s important that patients who are interested in dental implants have healthy jaw bones. A person who has a dense, healthy jaw bone will have more success with a dental implant because it will provide a stable base for the dental implant to stay secure.

Can a dental implant help prevent bone loss?

A dental implant can help strengthen the jaw bone and prevent bone loss. Through a process called osseointegration, which is when the dental implant becomes fused with the bone, a dental implant can create a bond that is very strong and difficult to break. The osseointegration process can take anywhere from six weeks to six months, depending on the health of the jaw bone and where the dental implant is located.

Assessing Bone Health for Dental Implants

To ensure you have enough bone density for a dental implant, the team at Dallas Cosmetic Dental will perform a dental evaluation and use radiography or a CT scan to evaluate the density of your jaw bone. The longer a tooth has been missing, the more chance the jaw bone has to deteriorate.

What about bone grafting?

If there isn’t enough healthy bone in the jaw, a bone grafting procedure can be done before placing a dental implant. A bone graft can add volume and density to the jaw in areas where bone loss has happened.

Bone graft material can be taken from a patient’s body or a human or animal tissue bank. However, there are cases now where synthetic material can also be used for a bone graft.

Bone grafting works by placing the graft where you need more bone density, and then the person’s body does the rest by growing bone around the graft. This is a common procedure and is often done as part of getting a dental implant to make sure the jaw bone is strong enough to permanently hold the implant into place.

Long-Term Care of Dental Implants

Dental implants have several unique advantages over other tooth replacement options. Dental implants are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they help improve your overall oral health.

One of the biggest benefits of dental implants is the way they stimulate the jaw bone when you eat, which helps regenerate the bone tissue. That promotes healthy bone density and avoids that “sunken” look that happens when that lack of stimulation triggers bone resorption. 

When taken care of properly, a dental implant can last just as long as a normal tooth. With a proper oral care routine and biannual dental evaluations, dental implants can last a lifetime.

Schedule your dental implant evaluation appointment today.

If you are missing a tooth or multiple teeth and are interested in dental implants, schedule an evaluation at Dallas Cosmetic Dental to see if your bone density is high enough for implants. Dallas Cosmetic Dental has a highly trained staff who is ready to listen to your concerns and help come up with a plan of action to restore your smile and bring it back to good health. Contact us today for a consultation, and to get you back to smiling confidently.