Restore Your Jawbone Strength With Supplemental Procedures
Incredible advancements have been made in modern dentistry over the last several decades. Dental implants, especially, allow people to restore their teeth like never before. But dental implants require a strong, healthy foundation to reliably fill the gaps in your smile. Thankfully, revolutionary supplemental procedures are allowing even more patients to receive sturdy dental implants.
Explore supplemental procedures for dental implants by reading Dr. Stovall’s guide below.
The Effects of Tooth Loss
Your jaw is vital for anchoring your teeth in place. In turn, your teeth stimulate your jawbone to keep it strong and healthy. Using your teeth to chew and talk helps the jawbone promote new cell production. After losing a tooth or having an extraction, your jawbone misses the stimulation and begins to degrade.
Jawbone degradation can cause several health problems, including a sunken appearance or difficulty eating and speaking. As a result, the brittle, weakened bone may not be a solid enough foundation for dental implants.
We understand that it may not be possible for some patients to restore their smiles immediately. However, prolonging your time with missing teeth can accelerate the loss of bone density. Unfortunately, replacements such as dentures that don’t replace the tooth root cannot reverse bone loss.
Do I need supplemental procedures?
We use the i-CAT, which creates a 3D digital impression of your oral anatomy, allowing us to plan your treatment with true precision. By finding the optimal location for your implant, we also try to minimize the need for bone grafting altogether.
Many patients can receive dental implants without supplemental procedures. But those who’ve relied on dentures or lived with a missing tooth for an extended period are more likely to need supplemental care.
Without a strengthening treatment, these patients would face a higher risk of dental implant failure, infection, or further tooth loss. Therefore, Dr. Stovall and her expert team will determine whether you need a supplemental procedure during your consultation at our Goldsboro, NC dental office. We’ll never perform a dental implant procedure if our dentists aren’t confident that the treatment will be successful and entirely safe for her patient.
What is Bone Grafting?
Bone grafting is a restorative treatment that uses donor bone tissue to strengthen your jaw. The tissue is placed directly onto your jawbone, allowing it to absorb into the bone matter and stimulate new cell production. The procedure gives patients with a weakened jawbone a solution for tooth loss that restores function and stability to their bone structure and teeth!
The benefits of bone grafting include:
- Restores jawbone structure
- Increases jaw function
- Helps speech clarity
- Reduces aging effects
- Boosts confidence in the beauty & function of your smile
Does bone grafting hurt?
No, bone grafting procedures aren’t painful. We’ll apply a local anesthetic or sedation dentistry option before treatment, so you’ll avoid any discomfort. You can alleviate any pain after the procedure with over-the-counter medication and cold compresses.
If you experience significant pain or discomfort following your bone grafting procedure, contact our office by calling 919-735-3431.
Soft Tissue Augmentation
The effects of periodontal disease can also interfere with your chances of successful dental implants. Thankfully, our dentists can correct your gum disease and improve your oral health with soft tissue augmentation. This advanced treatment works similarly to bone grafting, except it increases your gum cells instead of your jawbone.
We’ll complete this procedure by taking healthy gum tissue from a donor and placing it directly onto the receding areas. They’ll then begin to heal and absorb the new tissue to restore your oral health and prepare your mouth for stunning implants.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the success rate of implants placed in grafted bone?
A retrospective study found that after five and 10 years, dental implants placed in a bone graft had a success rate of 90 percent and 79 percent. Meanwhile, dental implants placed in native bone at five and 10 years had a success rate of 92 percent and 87 percent.
Certain factors such as tobacco use and lack of postoperative upkeep may increase the risk of bone graft failure. Different types of bone grafts may also alter your chances of success.
What are the different types of dental bone grafts?
- Xenografts use bone from an animal source.
- Allografts use human bone from a donor that is not an identical twin.
- Alloplasts use synthetic material, typically a type of glass made from a naturally occurring mineral found in the body called hydroxyapatite.
- Autografts use bone from another part of your body.
- Growth factors use a synthetic version of a naturally occurring protein found in your body, which causes the bone to grow where the implant site will be.
What is the success rate of soft tissue augmentation?
The success rate of soft tissue augmentation or gum grafting averages around 90 percent. Gum grafts may fail due to certain factors including:
- Smoking
- Overaggressive brushing
- Muscle pulling
- Lack of postoperative care
- Surrounding gum tissue health
- Teeth grinding
What are the different types of soft tissue augmentation procedures?
- Connective tissue grafts involve cutting a flap into the roof of your mouth, taking tissue from underneath the flap, and using it to cover the exposed root. Afterward, the flap will be sewn shut.
- Free gingival grafts are much like connective tissue grafts. The main difference is that the tissue is taken directly from the roof of your mouth without making a flap that can hide the site of removal. This method is most often used by people who need extra tissue in the area of the gums being treated.
- Pedicle grafts involve cutting a flap into the gum tissue of an adjacent tooth. This flap is stretched to cover the exposed roots of a nearby tooth and sewn into place. This procedure can only be performed on a patient with excess gum tissue.
Discover Supplemental Procedures for Implants at Stovall Dental
Revolutionary procedures have allowed thousands of patients to enjoy the restorative benefits of dental implants. That’s why our expert family team of dentists is exceptionally proud to provide the gold standard of restorative dentistry to our Goldsboro, NC community.
Learn more about our supplemental procedures and other dental implant solutions by scheduling your consultation at Stovall Dental. Contact us today at 919-583-7081 to speak with a helpful member of our team.