Will I Need A Bone Graft Prior To Dental Implants?

For anyone that’s been considering dental implants in North Harrow or elsewhere in the UK, they’ll probably be aware that the process involves placing the implant into the socket of the missing tooth during a period of oral surgery. Once this has been carried out, the implant which is made from titanium naturally fuses with the surrounding bone to hold it securely in place and make it strong enough to support a prosthetic crown.

For an implant to stand it’s best chance of success it needs to be placed into sufficient healthy bone and sometimes a diagnostic test can reveal that a patient has lost a lot of bone since their teeth were extracted. It can be concerning to hear this news but it’s surprisingly common and many people will undergo a bone graft to build up the width and depth of their bone. Once successful osseointegration (or bone fusion with the titanium implant) has been confirmed a patient will be able to have an implant placed. Naturally this will add length to the duration of the implant procedure as well as additional costs, but the end results are well worth it.

So why is bone lost in the first place?

There can be many reasons for bone loss with the most common reason being the fact that bone is resorbed into the body once a tooth is lost, since there is no longer a tooth root their to stimulate it.

Other reasons can be:

• Trauma or injury to the jaw
• Periodontal disease
• Developmental defect in the bone
• Untreated cavities and infection

Choosing a bone graft

Replacing bone can be done several ways and can be obtained from a patient’s own body, donor bone from a bone bank, bone from another species such as bovine, and even artificial bone material.

Your dentist in North Harrow is likely to recommend using your own bone since it increases the chances of success, and your body is less likely to reject the graft. If only a small amount of bone is required it can be taken from another place in your mouth and grafted on to the intended site, in one single visit to the dental clinic. If more bone is needed then it may require a short stay in hospital to have it removed from elsewhere, such as the hip. Your dentist may alternatively decide to use artificial bone substitute which stimulates the growth of new bone cells. As new bone cells develop the grafted material is absorbed into the body.

If you’d like to find out more about dental implants in North Harrow and, indeed to find out if you’re a suitable candidate, then why not book a free consultation with Imperial Dental Care where you can meet the team and get your questions answered. Call us today on 020 8427 2264 or book via our website at www.imperialdentalcare.co.uk to start the ball rolling.