If you have let your dental health go over a number of years, and you have lost teeth and tissues as a result, you may not be able to just march into a dental office and opt for dental implants right away. Bone grafting is an incredible medical procedure which will allow oral health care professionals who provide implants to extend their services to patients with diminished jawbone mass. Bone grafts are sometimes recommended in conjunction with full tooth extractions or when permanent teeth are lost. The main reason for a bone graft is to allow sufficient surface space for the strong titanium rods which are a big part of the dental implant structure.
The Importance of Bone Grafts
When you have missing teeth and you don’t do anything to replace them, over time you can experience something called facial collapse. The condition of facial collapse is felt commonly amongst traditional denture wearers. Even though dentures look and act like teeth, your body knows better. Because there are no longer roots where your tooth used to be, your body sends the minerals that would go to that portion of jawbone somewhere else they might be needed. The result is jawbone deterioration that will result in a sinking inward of your facial appearance. Facial collapse adds age to your appearance. Fortunately, bone grafts provide the bone density needed to have a successful dental implant surgery, thereby avoiding facial collapse.
Bone Graft Procedures
There are several possible sources for the bone replacement material used in grafts. Sometimes tissues can be procured from your own body. There are also tissue banks. Strides have been made to synthetically produce bone tissues over the years. Some people even use animal bone for their grafts. Once that decision is made, the graft is placed in the part of your jaw that is most lacking in bone tissue. As long as the graft is accepted by your body, the tissue will fuse and new bone will be naturally generated in place of the graft. The graft material will eventually dissolve when it is no longer needed. Once sufficient bone mass has been replenished, you are ready for a dental implant procedure.
ABOUT YOUR GLENCOE DENTIST:
Dr. Brent Engelberg and his highly-skilled team proudly serve patients and their families from Arlington Heights, IL, and all surrounding communities, including; Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, and the Northern and Northwest Chicago Suburbs. To learn more, schedule a consultation online, or call our office today at 847-259-8030.
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