In a lot of cases, getting dental implants is a fairly straightforward and simple process containing just the implant surgery and prosthesis placement. However, if the patient has bone loss in the jaw, then they must get dental bone grafts for implants.
Undergoing bone grafting for dental implants may feel like a troublesome thing (because, honestly, the idea of getting an extra pre-surgical procedure just to prepare yourself for the main surgery doesn’t sound good), but it’s really not! Contrary to what patients might think, getting bone grafts for dental implants has numerous benefits and leads to better long-term treatment outcomes.
In this blog, we’ll touch on the reasons why dental bone grafts for implants could add a positive angle to your restorative experience, thereby convincing you regarding the rationale of why bone grafting for dental implants is often recommended and performed.
What Are Dental Bone Grafts?
It’s fairly common for people to hear the word ‘bone grafts’ in the context of bone fractures (such as arm and leg fractures), where extra bone material is substituted to the fractured sites with the goal of prompting bone growth and repair and ultimately causing the fracture to heal.
However, bone grafts are not only limited to such fractures – they are very much used for dental purposes, one of which is to support the placement of dental implants. In the specific context of dental implants, a bone graft refers to a surgical procedure where extra bone material is supplied to a diseased/deteriorated jawbone in order to make it fit and healthy for implant placement.
This procedure is typically performed on people whose jawbone has suffered significant loss or damage due to reasons such as trauma, advanced periodontal disease (gum disease), uncontrolled gum/bone infections, underlying medical conditions (such as osteoporosis, diabetes, etc.) or even due to congenital jawbone abnormalities.
In any case, the ultimate goal is to make the jawbone strong and voluminous enough to be able to anchor the dental implants securely in place. This is necessary because the jawbone is quite literally the only supporting structure for dental implants and, ultimately, for the prosthesis (artificial permanent teeth), both of which are the building blocks of your new smile.
Reasons Why Dental Bone Grafts Lead To Better Implant Outcomes
From our above discussion, it’s safe to conclude that if you’re planning to get any sort of implant treatment, be it a small implant bridge or an entire implant denture, then the health and quality of your future smile are directly dependent on the health and quality of your jawbone. If the jawbone is already in good shape and ready to receive implants (which is a fair possibility) but it lacks the ideal strength and volume required by implants (which happens more often than not, especially in older adults), then getting a dental bone graft is the best way to remedy these lacks.
The simple rationale of a bone graft rectifying the structural and functional lacks in the jawbone may give patients the essential insight into why this treatment may be necessary in some cases, but it may
not be convincing enough for them to agree to get it (if the need for it arises). The reason why a lot of patients feel sceptical about getting a bone graft prior to implants is that they’re not aware of the full scope of its benefits and how it could potentially make their implant experience 10x better in the long run.
To make things plain, here are some ways in which a bone graft may add a definite positive angle to your implant treatment:
- Reiterating the primary purpose of a dental bone graft, it provides a solid foundation for dental implants by increasing the jawbone density and volume (even in cases where there is significant jawbone deterioration). Hence, it’s a ray of hope for people with weak and scarce jawbones who wish to get ‘successful’ permanent teeth replacement (which wouldn’t have been possible without a bone graft as the implants wouldn’t stay stable, leading to implant failure).
- In continuation of what we’ve just discussed, it’s important to note that bone grafts actually increase the success rate of implants, and this is backed by research. According to research, implants that follow bone grafting have a higher success rate because the bone grafts speed up the integration of the implants with the jawbone (a process known as osseointegration).
- Tooth loss is naturally followed by shrinkage and resorption of the surrounding jawbone, which is inevitable. Getting a bone graft at the site of tooth loss is the only way to halt this resorption, which not only ensures the success of an implant that may be placed in that area but also preserves the long-term health of the surrounding jawbone (as the implants would continually stimulate the jawbone, preventing it from further deterioration).
- Expanding on the earlier point, since bone grafts help preserve the structure of the jawbone, they also provide added support to the adjacent teeth. This prevents unwanted shifting of the adjacent teeth and helps retain the alignment of the bite.
- Since tooth loss causes jawbone shrinkage, it also inevitably disturbs the aesthetics of your overall facial profile (causing your jawline to recede and your cheeks to droop, giving you an aged appearance). Getting a bone graft would restore the natural contours of your jawline, which will help you have a more natural (and even younger) look when the implants are placed. This is especially beneficial for people who need implants in the front of the mouth or those who look older than their actual age (after suffering tooth loss) and want a solution that would fix not only the missing teeth but also the negative aesthetic consequences that came with tooth loss.
Conclusion
Getting a bone graft for dental implants isn’t just something that’s done out of necessity (because the jawbone lacks adequate volume or strength) – it actually has numerous benefits for the long-term success of implants. It improves implant stability and durability, increases implant success rate, prevents future jawbone deterioration and teeth shifting, and improves facial aesthetics, to name a few benefits.
If you have any specific questions regarding dental bone grafts or dental implants in general, schedule a FREE consultation with Manhattan Smile Clinic, a premium dental practice located in Manhattan, Manhattan. Talk to our panel of expert implant surgeons and pave your way to a healthy and beautiful smile!
