Missing Teeth and Bone Grafting

Even though the procedure sounds serious, a bit of information about why the procedure is necessary can make the process a little easier to bear. Our experienced Clarksville TN dentist at Carter Periodontics are trained in the most up-to-date techniques that rapidly increase healing time and success rates. But we always look for opportunities to educate our patients about oral health and procedures. So we’ve published this article to take a closer look at the necessity of bone grafting.

Firstly, it is important to understand that the roots of your teeth are surrounded by bone., held in place by ligaments.  If your jawbone doesn’t have a tooth to hold up, it disintegrates. Scary, right?  In order to prevent this decay, a dental implant should be immediately put in. If nothing is put in to replace the missing tooth, your jawbone will begin to slowly erode until a hollow divot is left. The gum tissue level will be lower than the surrounding areas and look unnatural.

Small bone grafting techniques can be as simple as packing the empty tooth socket with demineralized bone granules and covering them with a protective collagen membrane. The granules will help your own bone to fill in the socket and preserve the jaw line long enough for you to restore the area with a dental implant. If you use a bridge to replace the missing tooth, the bone level will deteriorate a little over time.

Larger bone grafting procedures are for patients who have been missing teeth for a long time and have advanced bone loss. Patients who wear dentures often experience this problem resulting in their denture no longer fitting. The replacement bone graft is made of a combination of sterile human bond granules and the patients own bone from a different part of the jaw, a hip or tibia in the form of a small block. Then, as with the small bone grafting technique, the replacement is secured with a collagen membrane and sutures. When the upper jaw, the maxilla, is involved, the procedure is different. Just above the maxilla is an empty cavity called the maxillary sinus. A procedure called a “sinus lift” is done to increase the depth and width of the bone below the sinus and facilitate dental implant.

At Carter Periodontics we specialize in dental implants in Tennessee and Tenessee oral surgery, so you can trust that we are specially trained and experienced. Click here or call us today at (931) 614-6603 for an appointment with an exceptional Clarksville TN dentist.