While it may seem like missing teeth only impact the appearance of your smile, it can also lead to other complex problems that affect both oral health and overall well-being. Bone loss within the jaw is one of the most common effects of tooth loss and it can impact many aspects of your oral health and appearance. Additionally, without proper bone volume, you may not be able to restore your mouth with dental implants.
How Bone Loss & Tooth Loss Correlate
After a tooth is lost or extracted, changes begin to occur in the bone tissue surrounding the lost tooth root. Without a tooth creating pressure on the root, which occurs when chewing and biting, the bone tissue becomes inactive over time, causing it to deteriorate. As it shrinks within the jaw, this slowly causes changes in the appearance of your smile and the fit of the bite. This is often seen with shifting teeth. Seeking treatment for a missing tooth promptly can help you avoid these changes and maintain your natural appearance and jaw structure.
How Do Implants Reduce Bone Loss?
Bone loss is a common problem after tooth loss and one that dental implants can address with their unique structure and materials. Dental implants replace the whole tooth, not just the crown which is visible above the gum line. The titanium post that is implanted into the jaw where your tooth was lost serves as a prosthetic tooth root, stimulating the regeneration of bone tissue and stabilizing your dental health. Just like a natural tooth root, every time you bite down or chew, the jaw bone surrounding the implant is stimulated, keeping your jaw healthy.
What You Can Do About Bone Loss
If you have lost significant bone in the jaw due to tooth loss we can provide treatment options to restore a more stable oral foundation for placing dental implants. We offer bone grafting to augment existing bone when there is not enough stable and healthy tissue to ensure a good result. Performed right here in our Sterling, VA office, a bone grafting procedure can support your new implants and improve the structure and integrity of your bite.