Tooth Loss Leads To Bone Loss
It’s an unfortunate fact of life; accidents happen. Bones break, skins sears, and cuts and bruises show up at the worst possible moment. You can try to be careful, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. Thankfully, your body can handle many of the things that come at you. Plus, stitches, splints, and Band-Aids can get you back on track in no time.
Accidental Tooth Loss
Accidents can happen with your teeth, too, but when a tooth goes missing, it takes more than a Band-Aid to fix it. From car accidents to flying hockey pucks, there are many ways to lose a pearly white. No matter how you lost it, getting to the dentist right away is the best thing to do to get your smile back. Never try to live with the loss until it becomes a way of life; when tooth loss is not treated promptly, it can compromise your life well beyond just how you smile.
The Trouble With Bone Loss
When a tooth is missing for a long time, the bone will reabsorb or actually disappear from the jaw. You might notice that your face will sink in a bit in the areas where teeth have been absent. When you have back teeth that are missing for a while, the sinuses actually have a tendency to push down and lessen the bone in the area. To avoid the changes in your facial features or your sinuses, dental implants are the way to go. Implants will stop the bone loss and fill in your form. But what if you’ve waited too long and already have bone loss? Can you still get implants? The good news is; you can.
Building Up The Bone
Luckily, there are wonderful dentistry options available to get your teeth looking good and back to working order in no time. For missing bone in the sinus area, you can have a sinus lift. This is a gentle way to move the sinus back up where it belongs so a bone graft can be done. This gives enough bone to set the implant. When it comes to missing bone in other areas, ridge augmentation is used to build up the bone that was lost. Either way, your mouth will be prepared for your implants so that you have a successful outcome.
At Community Dental Group, we want to see you take care of yourself after any accident or loss, and we’re here to help you do just that. Don’t let your tooth loss become bone loss.