For patients who lack sufficient mandibular bone to support dental implants, grafting could be a solution. It may not work for all patients, especially if the area is affected by severe trauma or infection. You should talk to your dentist about the possibility of placing implants to find out if you are a good candidate or if augmentation of existing bone is an option for making dental implants viable. A great option for a bone graft is your own bone, most likely coming from the chin or branch (the back of the lower jaw).
If your dentist can't remove enough bone from these areas, you may need to get it from the hip or shin instead. The hip is considered to be a better source simply because it can provide a large amount of bone. However, this will require hospitalization and general anesthesia, and does not increase the risk of hip fracture. This procedure involves taking bone from other areas of the body where it isn't needed and grafting it into the jawbone to increase enough volume to support an implant.
That is certainly the case with dental implants, which are attached to the patient's jaw and gums with the use of small screws. The nutrients and materials used by the jaw to support the missing tooth are diverted to other parts of the mouth; consequently, this causes a loss of density and structural strength of the bone, making it unable to support the new implants. In addition to dentures or bridges, many people have the option of installing dental implants, which consist of a titanium post that attaches to the jaw bone for strength and support, as well as a crown, or false tooth, that attaches to the post and looks and acts just like the natural tooth that you lost. Even if you don't start out as a good candidate for dental implants, you can take steps to become one.
This procedure anchors the implant in the zygoma bone, a part of the jaw closest to the cheek that is known for its high density. What's worse, however, is that the space left by a missing tooth can cause the part of the jaw that once held that tooth to deteriorate. Even if you've lost all your teeth and have noticed that your cheeks begin to sink inward, a sign of jaw loss, you may not need a bone graft to support your dental implants. Zygomatic implants do not involve the redistribution or reapplication of external bone matter like grafting does.
This becomes a problem when a patient has experienced a significant loss of bone matter or density and, therefore, lacks the physical support necessary to ensure proper assimilation of dental implants. This is another type of bone graft and is only done when the jaw is not wide enough to support the implants. This procedure, called split ridge technique, can be done in the dental office with local anesthesia. From there, a piece of natural or synthetic bone will be placed in the area where more support for implants is needed.
However, if your bone is in good condition, you should be able to get an implant within six months of losing your tooth. For those who lack sufficient mandibular bone mass for dental implants, there are several options available that can help make them viable. Bone grafting is one such option that involves taking bone from other areas of your body and grafting it into your jawbone in order to increase its volume and provide enough support for an implant. Zygomatic implants are another option that does not involve any external bone matter redistribution or reapplication like grafting does.
Lastly, split ridge technique is another type of bone grafting procedure that can be done in-office with local anesthesia if your jaw isn't wide enough to support an implant.
