Dental Implants:
Supplemental Treatments

For some patients, moving forward with the dental implant process can be a little more difficult than it is for other patients. The reason for this is the fact that some patients are suffering from conditions such as jawbone deterioration or gum recession, both of which can reduce the chances of implant success. It used to be that these patients would not be able to move forward with the implant treatment because of their condition. However, now we have treatments such as bone grafting and soft tissue augmentation, which we can use to restore a patient’s candidacy for treatment with dental implants. We encourage you to continue reading this page to learn more about these procedures and how they work to heal your mouth for implant treatment.

Jawbone Deterioration and Its Effects

Not a lot of people are aware that the jawbone is much like a muscle in the way that it requires constant exercise in order to maintain itself. Normally, this exercise comes from vibrations that occur every time you chew and speak. These vibrations travel down the roots of your teeth and into your jawbone, where they provide stimulation to the tissues there. But, when you lose a tooth, the area of the jawbone that held that tooth is no longer getting what it needs to stay healthy. As a result, that portion of the jawbone will begin to deteriorate.

This deterioration can have many effects on your health, outside of simply making it harder for you to pursue treatment with dental implants. For instance, jawbone deterioration can actually affect your overall facial appearance. The reason for this is the fact that your jawbone works to support your facial structure. As a result of deterioration, your cheeks can hollow out, producing a sunken appearance. It is also likely that the skin directly around your mouth will prematurely wrinkle. Because of these changes, people suffering from jawbone deterioration tend to be described as appearing aged or unhealthy.

Bone Grafting

For patients who are suffering from jawbone deterioration that would still like to move forward with dental implants, we can provide a treatment called bone grafting. Bone grafting is a procedure that takes bone tissue from another source, usually donated or synthetic, and grafts it to the deficient areas of your jawbone. By taking advantage of the jawbone’s ability to naturally heal itself, this tissue will integrate into your oral structure, reversing the damage done by bone deterioration.

Gum Recession

Another problem that commonly keeps patients away from treatment with dental implants is called gum recession. Much like the jawbone, your gums are also capable of deteriorating, receding away from your teeth and making them more susceptible to pain and oral disease. Potential causes of gum recession include:

• Poorly Maintained Oral Hygiene: If you are not properly caring for your teeth, then plaque can buildup on your teeth and gums, which will eat away at the soft tissues and cause recession.
• Aggressive Teeth Brushing: If you brush too roughly, you can damage your gums, which will cause them to recede away from your teeth.
• Periodontal Disease: Periodontal disease is an infection in your gums, which will eat away at the gum tissue, resulting in its recession.

Soft Tissue Augmentation

Soft tissue augmentation can be used to restore your gum tissue, much in the same way as bone grafting. This procedure takes gum tissue from another source and grafts it to the receded areas of your gums. As your mouth heals following this procedure, this new gum tissue is integrated into your gums, restoring health and density to your gum tissue.

Determine Your Need for Supplemental Procedures

Before you can receive dental implants, you will first need to attend a consultation, during which we will examine your oral health in order to determine whether or not you will need a supplemental procedure before you can have your implants placed. If you would like to schedule your no-obligation consultation with Dr. Ahmad Chaudhry at our Bethlehem, PA office, then we encourage you to contact our office today. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

*For after-care information regarding supplemental treatments, visit this link.