Supplemental Treatments For Dental Implants

If you have decided dental implants are your preferred method of tooth replacement, we congratulate you on your decision. Fixing missing or damaged teeth is a very important part of getting and maintaining good oral health. However, we would also encourage caution since the dental implant process can be a little more challenging for some patients. The reason for this is conditions like jawbone deterioration or gum recession.

Both of these common issues can reduce the chances of implant success. The good news is that doctors now have treatments like bone grafting and soft tissue augmentation to dramatically improve a patient’s chances of success with dental implants. Please feel free to review this page to learn more about these procedures and how they can help prepare your mouth for the dental implant treatment process.

The Health Of Your Jawbone

You may not know it, but the jawbone is a critical part of your smile. In fact, every time you chew, bite, speak, yawn, or even kiss, these muscles exert forces that keep the muscles strong and the bone healthy. But for patients who have lost one or more teeth, the area of the jawbone that held that tooth no longer gets the exercise it needs to stay healthy. As a result, the jawbone beneath begins to deteriorate.

What Happens When The Jawbone Deteriorates?

Jawbone deterioration has many different side-effects for patients besides just making it more challenging for you to pursue dental implant treatment. One significant and very visible impact is your overall facial appearance. The reason? Your jawbone actually works as an important support for your facial structure. If the bone begins to flatten out from deterioration, cheeks hollow out and the skin around your mouth can prematurely wrinkle. This produces a sunken appearance that makes patients look much older than they actually are.

What Is The Solution?

If you happen to be one of the patients who are suffering from jawbone deterioration, there is help if you want to pursue dental implants. The most common treatment for this problem is called bone grafting. If your provider selects this procedure, bone tissue will be taken from another source (most often donated or synthetic), and attached to the areas of your jawbone that need additional volume. Once the piece of donated tissue is allowed to heal, it will integrate into your jawbone, repairing the damage done by years of deterioration. After that, your jaw will be better able to support dental implants.

Healthy Gum Tissues And Recession

Another problem that prevents some patients from immediate treatment with dental implants is recession of healthy gum tissues. Many patients experience this problem as they age, or because they have other tooth replacement treatments like bridges or dentures that do not require supportive gum tissue. Other patients experience gum recession due to poor oral hygiene, gum disease, or brushing too aggressively. In such instances, the gum tissues pull away from your teeth, making them more susceptible to pain, sensitivity, and gum disease.

What Is The Solution?

Much like jawbone deterioration, there is an effective treatment that can help prepare your receding gums for dental implant placement. The solution is soft tissue augmentation and it can be used to restore your gum tissue in much the same way as bone grafting. If your doctor selects this procedure for you, gum tissue will be harvested from another source and attached to the areas of your gums that have receded. As the area heals, new gum tissue is integrated into your gums, restoring them to a healthy and strong condition that is capable of supporting implants.

Let Us Help You With Your Supplemental Treatment

After reading all about supplemental treatments for dental implants, you will probably want to know how to find the right provider for your unique needs. If this is the case, we suggest you peruse our Choosing A Dental Implant Provider Page. Alternatively, you can look at the rest of our Dental Implants InfoSite or give us a call for a consultation with Dr. Schwartz. We proudly serve patients in the Thornhill and Newmarket areas and beyond. Call us today to get started!