Dental bone grafts: If you have a lot of bone loss, your dentist or periodontist may recommend a bone graft. During this procedure, they'll place bone-grafting material in the areas where you've lost bone tissue. (The material may be your own bone, donated bone or a synthetic material.)
Even the most damaged teeth can often be saved with proper periodontal treatment in a periodontal office. Many studies have shown that teeth with advanced bone loss, even to the top of the tooth root, can be saved with advanced regeneration and instruments.
A dental bone graft adds volume and density to your jaw in areas where bone loss has occurred. The bone graft material may be taken from your own body (autogenous), or it may be purchased from a human tissue bank (allograft) or an animal tissue bank (xenograft).
In some cases, it's possible for jaw bone regeneration to occur. In other instances, jaw bone loss is permanent, and other alternatives are needed. Bone grafting is one way to provide bone back in your jaw. The procedure involves taking bone from another part of your jaw and inserting it into the loss area.
If gingivitis is left untreated it may progress into more serious gum diseases, including periodontitis, whereby the supporting gum tissue and bone that holds teeth in place starts to deteriorate. The progressive loss of bone can lead to the loosening and subsequent loss of neighbouring teeth.
It's never too late for gum grafting as long as the patient has sufficient gum tissue to harvest for the graft. However, the success rate of the procedure may be lower in cases where the patient has advanced gum disease or other underlying health issues that can affect the healing process.
Stage three is when you're considered to have osteoporosis. In this stage, your bone loss far exceeds your bone growth, putting you at a higher risk for fractures. Unless you experience a fracture, you likely won't have any other symptoms in this stage, except for a bone density of -2.5 or lower if you're tested.
Common signs are a gap or gaps opening up between the teeth, bad breath, mobile teeth, swollen or bleeding gums or gum recession. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should contact your dentist straight away.
Ongoing gum irritation and swelling, called inflammation, can cause periodontitis. Eventually this causes deep pockets to form between your gums and teeth. These pockets fill with plaque, tartar and bacteria and become deeper over time. If not treated, these deep infections cause a loss of tissue and bone.
Implant overdentures often require fewer implants, making them a better choice for patients with more bone loss. Also, because they are removable, they are easier to clean, especially for patients who are already used to removing their dentures to clean them.
The cost of dental bone grafts varies widely, depending on the condition of the individual jawbone and the specific needs of the patient. A simple graft that uses synthetic bone usually ranges from $300 to $800 for each implant area.
Procedure: The periodontist administers a local anesthetic and gently opens the area. He then removes the periodontal disease, repairs the bone damage and fills in the damaged area with bone grafting material. This transparent view of the gums shows the bone loss that has occurred from periodontal disease.
This is the second stage of Periodontal Disease. But this is the first stage of Periodontal Disease which has irreversible effects. In Mild Periodontal Disease, you will still have the signs and symptoms of gingivitis present, in addition to up to thirty percent (30%) bone loss.
Bone loss to or beyond the radiographic apex of a natural tooth is considered to be hopeless by most periodontal classification schemes. Older, simple prognosis classification studies typically categorize teeth as being poor to hopeless and tooth extraction warranted when bone loss around a tooth is 50% or greater.
You might see pus around your tooth, and you'll notice your gums pulling away from contact with the tooth. Your gums might swell, and that swelling could extend to your face and neck, too. At this point, your tooth will likely have to be removed.
Periodontal disease is not a life-threatening condition.
Sadly, it's not yet possible to stimulate the bone to regrow and rebuild the lost bone around the teeth. However, by developing good oral hygiene further bone loss can be prevented and advanced dental procedures available to replace the bone.
In addition, several other signs may alert your dentist to the possibility of osteoporosis: Bone loss in the jaw and around teeth. Year-to-year comparisons of dental x-rays may indicate a decrease in jawbone density and the bone around your teeth, revealing advancing stages of the disease.
Certain changes in your facial features and bite can indicate jawbone loss. When tissue volume decrease in your jaw, you may notice that your mouth seems to collapse into your face, your chin becomes more pointed, or wrinkles begin to form around the mouth.
1 or higher, your bone is healthy. –1 to –2.5, you have osteopenia, a less severe form of low bone mineral density than osteoporosis. –2.5 or lower, you might have osteoporosis.
What can happen if osteoporosis is not treated? Osteoporosis that is not treated can lead to serious bone breaks (fractures), especially in the hip and spine. One in three women is likely to have a fracture caused by osteoporosis in her lifetime. Hip fractures can cause serious pain and disability and require surgery.
Osteoporosis occurs when too much bone mass is lost and changes occur in the structure of bone tissue. Certain risk factors may lead to the development of osteoporosis or can increase the likelihood that you will develop the disease.
During a gum graft surgery, your periodontist will: Give you local anesthesia. This numbs your teeth and gums in that area. Many periodontists also offer sedation dentistry options for your comfort, including nitrous oxide, oral sedation and IV sedation.
Throughout your surgery, you can expect to feel no pain whatsoever, as the anesthesia will ensure you are thoroughly numb. However, once you are home and the effects have worn off, it is not uncommon to experience some soreness and discomfort. Fortunately, there are ways to manage the pain and avoid complications.
Gum grafting is a highly safe and effective procedure; it has been tested and proven successful in treating countless cases of receding and thinning gums due to aggressive brushing and gum disease. Still, complications and infections may occur, especially without proper post-op care.