Dental implant are a great option to consider if you are missing a tooth or multiple teeth and would like to have dental health that is its very best. Of course, there are many reasons why a person may not be eligible for dental implants. Still, there are additional procedures that can be performed that would make a person eligible to receive them.
The team at our cosmetic dentistry center would like to take a few moments right now to go over some of these additional procedures that may make dental implants a great option for you.
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that are surgically implanted into the jawbone and gum tissue of a patient's mouth. By doing this, the dental implants are able to securely hold dental bridges, dentures, and other kinds of dental restorations with comparable strength to natural tooth roots.
Because dental implants need to be anchored in bone and gum tissue, it's imperative that patients have sufficient gum and bone structure in place to support the implant. The problem is that when a person loses a tooth, gum recession and bone loss can both occur over time. For people who have lost a tooth and have not had the issue addressed for some years, these soft and hard tissues may no longer be present in sufficient amounts to support dental implants.
Two surgeries can be performed to address this problem: bone grafting and gum augmentation. Let's first look at bone grafting and how it can be helpful to you.
Bone grafting is a surgery in which bone from a donor site (often the hipbone) or artificial bone grafts are used to build/restore hard tissue in the jawbone area. The best option for treatment will be determined during the consultation process.
Similar to bone grafting, gum augmentation works on similar principles. Restorative / implant dentists use soft tissue from a donor site (often the patient's palate) or artificial soft tissue grafts in order to build the gumline and restore gum density in a given area.
In general, these two procedures make getting dental implants a reality for patients who were once ineligible for treatment. We should note that undergoing either of these grafting procedures will add a few months to the overall treatment time, but many patients find that the added months are worth it given the stability offered by the dental implants.
There are many other restorative dentistry options out there to consider for missing teeth, and it's important that you get the treatment that you need most when it is most needed. During your visit, we will be sure to discuss dental bridges, dentures, and implant-supported dental crowns in more detail so that you get all the information that you need to make a sound decisions about your dental wellness.
If you would like to learn more about dental implants and your many other options for replacing missing teeth, be sure to contact our Staten Island restorative dentistry center today. The entire team here looks forward to meeting you in person and helping you achieve the best possible dental health in the process.