Rebuilding Your Smile: The Importance of Bone Grafting for Dental Health
When teeth are lost or removed, it immediately affects the appearance of your smile. However, the immediate effects are just the start of the potentially negative changes in your smile’s look, feel, and function. Tooth loss also triggers and hastens a destructive condition called bone resorption, or bone loss. The bone in your jaw can be lost due to untreated, progressive periodontal (gum) disease. At Desert Ridge Periodontics & Implant Dentistry, our specialty center has the expertise and capabilities to effectively rebuild deteriorated bone through procedures such as grafting. Whatever your specific needs may be, we are here to help.
Why is the health of my jawbone so important?
A sum of many parts, your mouth depends on tissues like the supportive bone in the jaw. When these tissues are damaged, the overlying muscle and skin lose structural support. These tissues may sag, which ages your face. As the loss of bone becomes worse, the jawline and chin collapse. Your face may now appear drawn, with highly visible wrinkles and folds.
The effects go beyond how you look. You may find it difficult to chew food comfortably. You may avoid certain foods. People may have difficulty understanding you, as your speech is not as clear as it used to be. Those with dentures or other oral appliances may find that they shift around and no longer fit as they once did. Plus, bone loss can stand between you and the replacement teeth you need to rebuild your smile.
Why is bone loss a barrier to tooth replacement?
When the underlying bone shrinks, it causes dips, depressions, or indentations in the gumline that can affect the appearance of dental bridges. Additionally, dental implants require healthy, dense, surrounding bone. After each implant is applied to the jawbone, it must naturally integrate or join the surrounding tissue. If there is a lack of bone, proper integration and healing cannot occur. Without bone grafting, you may be unable to receive new teeth supported by implants, which are widely considered the “next best thing” to healthy, natural teeth.
How does bone grafting “work”?
We discuss generalizations here, recognizing that your needs are personal and unique. So, generally speaking, we start by giving your mouth a “clean slate.” If advanced periodontal disease is to blame for your bone loss, we must first treat the disease. This then stops the bone loss from progressing further. Once bone is lost, it is lost for good – unless we “re-grow” some of it with techniques like grafting. Treatment can be completed with a numbing local anesthetic. The underlying area is gently accessed. Any diseased or damaged areas are treated and repaired, and a grafting material is applied. This material can be derived from various sources, which we are happy to explore with you during a consultation at our office. Lastly, the “graft” or bony tissue is secured.
Are there different types of bone grafting treatment?
Yes! For instance, deterioration of bone in the upper jaw or sinus area presents unique challenges. Due to the anatomy of the sinuses, only a small bit of bone may be present that separates these chambers of the mouth. In this case, we may lift the sinus floor – a treatment known as “sinus augmentation.” This procedure typically involves lifting the membranes that line the sinuses and applying bone graft material to the areas beneath them. Like other grafting procedures for soft and hard tissues, the bone will heal and integrate into the jaw over the following months.
If you are concerned about changes in the look, feel, and function of your teeth and gums, contact Desert Ridge Periodontics & Implant Dentistry today. Serving the Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Glendale, Peoria, and Mesa, AZ area, our team in Scottsdale can be reached at (602) 932-6297.
At Desert Ridge Periodontics, patients benefit from the expertise of Dr. Dan Indech, DDS, a board-certified periodontist with more than 30 years of experience in periodontal care, dental implants, and laser surgery. Trained at leading institutions in Canada, the U.S., and Sweden, he has placed over 10,000 implants and is nationally recognized for his work in Implantology and LANAP® laser periodontal therapy.
Dr. Indech and the team deliver compassionate, evidence-based periodontal and implant care focused on long-term oral health and personalized treatment.
