Are you a candidate for a dental implant?
Adequate bone in your jaw is needed to support the implant, and it is important to have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal disease or stable after gum disease has been treated. Assessment of the bone usually requires radiographs and often CT scans. In some cases, it may be possible to graft or grow bone into a compromised site prior to implant placement.
Dental implants are intimately connected with the gum tissues and underlying bone in the mouth. Since periodontists are the dental experts who specialise in precisely these areas, they are ideal members of your dental implant team. Not only do periodontists have experience working with other dental professionals, they also have the special knowledge, training and facilities that you need to have teeth that look and feel just like your own.
What can an implant do for you?
- Replace one or more teeth without affecting neighbouring teeth.
- Support a bridge and eliminate the need for a removable partial denture.
- Provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable.
What is Bone Grafting?
Over a period of time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth is resorbed/reduced. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. In these situations, most patients are not candidates for placement of dental implants.
With bone grafting, we now have the opportunity to not only replace bone where it is missing, but also the ability to promote new bone growth in that location. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and esthetic appearance.
