There comes a point in their life for most people when they start noticing a drop in their bone strength. From the dental perspective, the jaws start to seem much weaker. Bone deterioration is real, and if handled badly, it can even be life altering. However, there is a method to delay this to a great extent: inserting dental implants.
Sooner the Better
Bone deterioration commonly follows after a missing tooth. If the said tooth is not replaced, the surrounding bone gets deprived of the reinforcement it needs and starts shrinking. Absent a single permanent tooth, the surrounding teeth drop in density and turn more brittle by degrees. They too fall out eventually, until the person is left with an eroded jaw, which limits their ability to speak or chew.
A dental implant inserted early on by a competent dentist ensures that complications are kept to a minimum and that less bone matter is lost to an unhealthy lifestyle.
Repair through Bone Grafting
If you have already lost a significant amount of density in the teeth and jaw, dental implants may seem a bad idea. They are not, though; dentists now employ a procedure called bone grafting, wherein more bone is added to specific areas, allowing the dentist to insert an implant.
In the beginning, X-rays are used to determine how much decay has occurred, and how much bone is left. These X-rays reveal the percentages of calcium and other components present in the bone. If the person lacks sufficient bone to successfully secure an implant, bone grafting is often the next best thing.
The procedure involves taking the separately sourced bone and securing this in the intended area. This bone could come from a stronger part of the same person’s jaw, or their chin, hip, or even shinbone. After it has been correctly placed, an implant can be put in as well. This preserves the patient’s oral health, preventing otherwise unavoidable and rapid decay, as well as associated problems.
What Exactly are Dental Implants?
The overall basic goal is to prevent bone density from being lost. Dental implants are nothing but artificial dental roots inserted into the jaw, as replacements for missing teeth. They carry attached crowns that aid in preserving the jaw structure. Moreover, they function similarly to regular teeth, in that the person can use them to chew with. In appearance too, dental implants can be made to resemble natural teeth. They are permanent and exert the same amount of force as the teeth they replace.
It’s good to know that the purpose of dental implants is to prevent you from losing bone density. I could only imagine how awful it would be to lose bone density in your mouth. I hope that no one has to go through that and that instead they just get dental implants. Thanks for the information!