Bone loss in teeth not only leaves unattractive spaces but it can also make it difficult to achieve an aesthetic restoration.
It’s important to have sufficient bone in your mouth for both aesthetic and functional reasons. If an accident or gum disease results in the loss of teeth or extraction, the bone and gum tissue surrounding the missing teeth heals at a slightly lower height than the adjacent tissue, often resulting in a bone defect.
The teeth will appear much longer than the neighbouring teeth, unless the defect can be masked in some way. It’s then extremely difficult, sometimes impossible, to replace the missing teeth with an aesthetically pleasing, well-fitting fixed bridge.
A number of techniques are available to correct bone loss around teeth:
Regenerative bone &/or gum grafting
The treatment involves rebuilding or regenerating bone and gum tissue around and between the teeth.
Composite bonding
The treatment reshapes the teeth to hide ‘black triangles or holes’ between the teeth.
Fixed porcelain interdental addition
Gum-coloured porcelain or composite resin added to crowns or bridgework to mask the gap between the gum and the restoration.
Removable artificial tissue appliance
This is using flexible plastic used to hide missing gum tissue.
Ridge augmentation
A surgical procedure that adds grafted or synthetic bone tissue and or gum to reinstate the ridge to its correct height and shape.
If you have extreme bone loss or have been told in the past that you have insufficient bone for dental implants, the good news is that you may now be eligible for bone grafting. If, after evaluating both your bone quality and quantity using an X-ray or CAT scan, the dental surgeon finds there isn’t enough bone for implant placement, he may recommend bone grafting. Learn more about what dental bone grafting is in our detailed guide for patients.
This procedure usually involves removing a small amount of bone from another part of your body, such as your jaw or hip, which is then used to replace the missing bone in your tooth or teeth. Once everything has healed, you should have enough tooth bone to be able to support a tooth implant.
Our team is always on hand to provide the very best advice on restoring your smile and the best options for your teeth. Get in touch today to find out how we can help at our practice in Windsor. Take a look through our case studies or call us on 01753 833755 to find out how we can address your teeth bone loss with bone grafting and other techniques.
