3 Ways To Treat Jawbone That Has Resorbed Due To Tooth Loss

Your jawbone stays healthy in part due to the slight, constant friction provided by the roots of your natural teeth. The friction helps stimulate vital tissues and cells to generate and keep the bone vital. Loss of a tooth due to trauma or decay removes that needed root friction and your jawbone can quickly resorb or deteriorate. The dwindling bone can put other natural teeth at risk and take you off the list of candidates for a dental implant to replace the missing tooth.

Your general or cosmetic dentist specialist do have a few potential ways to correct the jawbone resorb. Ask your dentist for more information.

Bone Graft

A bone graft procedure involves the dentist taking donor bone from elsewhere in your mouth or an outside source then splicing that bone into the weakened area. Over a months-long healing process, the original jawbone and donor bone will fuse together to form one solid piece of bone.

The graft procedure does take some time due to the healing but is overall a relatively painless way to replace bone that won't regenerate. You will need to opt for a dental replacement option as soon as the graft finishes healing or else the stimulation-free jawbone will simply start to deteriorate again.

Sinus Lift

If the missing tooth was on the upper jaw, the deteriorating jawbone can cause the parallel sinus cavity to drop down lower and into the path of any potential dental implant. The dentist can correct the problem with a sinus lift.

A sinus lift procedure involves lifting up the sinus cavity then sliding in donor bone to prop the cavity up. The donor bone then heals into place the same way as with a bone graft and the sinus is now safely and securely out of the way.

Dental Implant

A dental implant is the best dental replacement option if you have undergone a bone graft and want to prevent resorbing form happening again. The metal, jawbone-implanted root of the implant will provide a similar level of friction as a natural tooth. No other dental replacement can provide this service because the others lack a securing method that goes into the bone itself.

Dental implants require you to have healthy, dense jawbone or the root won't heal into place properly. Your dentist will want to correct the jawbone deterioration with the bone graft before continuing on with the dental implant procedure. Contact a cosmetic dentist such as Hart Dayton DMD for more information about dental implants.

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