If you’ve been considering dental implants in Brentwood from Dr. Will Jones, you may be aware that one of the most often-advertised benefits of implants is their ability to stop jaw bone loss, which is a common problem after losing a tooth.
But is this really true? Do dental implants strengthen your jaw and prevent bone loss? How? In this blog, the team at The Burkitt Center for Comprehensive Dentistry will take a look at the basics.
It’s true that dental implants help keep your jaw healthy after you’ve lost a tooth. When you lose a tooth, the root of the tooth no longer transmits the pressure and force of biting, chewing and smiling into your jaw bone. This is a problem because, just like any other part of your body, the bone below your missing tooth will begin to deteriorate and waste away when it is not stimulated.
So, how do dental implants help? By bonding permanently with your jaw bone and your gums through a process called “osseointegration.”
Dental implants are made of titanium and are shaped like small screws or rods. During your procedure, Dr. Will Jones will place your implant directly into the socket where your missing tooth used to be.
Then as your implant heals over a period of 3-6 months, it will begin to bond with your jaw bone. This is because titanium has the unique ability to “osseointegrate” with your bone structure. Essentially, this means that your body thinks that the titanium implant is a natural part of your body. Your jaw bone tissue will heal and bond with the implant, locking it into place permanently.
One of the benefits of this is that, once healing is complete, your implant will function just like a natural tooth. When you chew and bite, the pressure that is placed on your implant is transmitted directly into your jaw bone, stimulating it and preventing it from deteriorating.
You can lose as much as 25% of your natural jaw bone below a missing tooth within a year of losing the tooth. If you wait too long to get a dental implant, your jaw may be weak and unable to accommodate a dental implant.
If this is the case, you may need an additional surgery like a bone graft or sinus lift to strengthen the jaw bone before your implant can be placed, which means your procedure will be more costly and complex, and it will take longer to restore your tooth.
At The Burkitt Center for Comprehensive Dentistry, we specialize in dental implants in Brentwood. If you would like to learn more about implant dentistry, just contact us now at (615) 941-3368 to schedule your consultation, or stop by our office at 6716 Nolensville Road, Suite 120, Brentwood, TN 37027 to make an appointment in person. We’ll see you soon!
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