Successful Dental Implants When Bone Loss Is Present
The tissue beneath your teeth anchors and secures dental implants, but for many people, their bones have deteriorated over time, especially after tooth removal or due to gum disease.
People lose bone in their mouths for many reasons, and getting dental implants sooner than later after tooth removal or gum disease-associated bone loss is crucial. Fortunately, there are three procedures for building bone:
1. Bone grafting
2. Sinus lift
3. Ridge augmentation
Find Out How To Build Up Your Bone For Dental Implants
Learn about the causes of bone loss, plus what goes into each procedure for building bone. Live life the way you want to with dental implants from Dr. Bramanti, a Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialist.
Building Up Your Bone For Dental Implants
Successful dental implants depend on a solid bone foundation beneath the teeth to anchor and secure the implant. But for many people, bone has thinned, weakened, or deteriorated, leaving you without the depth, width, volume, or quality of bone needed to deal with the ongoing forces that occur when chewing. Dental implants require a solid bone that is sufficient in volume, thickness, height and quality for lifelong success. Fortunately, Dr. Bramanti is highly skilled in procedures that can augment the bone you have and build new bone to support dental implants.
How And Why Do People Lose Bone In Their Mouths?
Bone is living tissue that is in a constant process of being reabsorbed into the body and naturally replaced with new bone. The skeleton completely regenerates about every ten years. In the mouth, chewing and biting stimulate bone growth to offset the bone that is naturally reabsorbed into the body. That’s why losing a tooth causes bone loss – there is nothing stimulating bone growth.
A person loses roughly 50% of the bone surrounding a tooth within the first year after it is removed or lost. A traumatic tooth injury, gum disease, developmental tooth defect, and denture wear can also lead to bone loss. That’s why getting dental implants sooner rather than later after losing a tooth is essential.
Three Procedures For Building Bone
The preferred method for building bone is called a bone grafting. In this procedure, a block or particles of bone from another source are placed on the existing bone below the gumline. Over time, this added bone grows, fills the spaces, and fuses with the existing bone to form a strong, new layer of bone that can support dental implants.
The bone used in a graft procedure can come from several different sources:
Autograft: This is bone taken from elsewhere in your body, such as from the back of the jawbone near the wisdom teeth, the chin or the hip region.
Allograft: This refers to bone taken from another person, usually tissue harvested from a cadaver. Dr. Bramanti does not use cadaver bone in his patients due to periodic viral, bacterial or prion contamination of these human grafts when they are processed leading to injury and disease in some patients.
Xenograft: This is bone taken from an animal whose processed bone can build bone in humans. This type of bone graft material usually comes from a cow.
Alloplast: This is a graft done using synthetic materials. Dr. Bramanti does not use this material as it resorbs quickly over time and leads to less than optimal results.
When the back teeth in the upper jaw are missing, the sinus cavity above them can enlarge and drop into the mouth cavity as the natural bone deteriorates. In a sinus lift (or sinus augmentation), the sinus membrane is lifted to its proper position, and bone is grafted to promote bone growth in the sinus and upper jawbone.
When a tooth is lost or removed, the hole left behind changes the shape and surface resulting in a bone loss defect. A ridge augmentation procedure reconstructs the lost bone, natural gum, jawline, with the grafting of bone, leading to additional bone width, height, growth, and strength to support a dental implant.
Bone grafting procedures are done in the Dental Implant Expert‘s office using local anesthesia and/or sedation. Bone graft maturation typically require 6 to 8 months to fully heal and have sufficient bone growth for inserting dental implants. You will leave Dr. Bramanti’s office with temporary teeth that look natural and allow you to chew softer foods. In some cases, if bone loss is minimal, you may be able to have the dental implant inserted during the bone grafting procedure. Dr. Bramanti will also prescribe you an antibiotic, medicated rinse, and a mild medication for any discomfort for the first day or two after the procedure.
Sinus Lift And Bone Grafting
Ridge Augmentation And Bone Grafting
Like a fingerprint, your mouth is unique. It takes a Dental Implant Expert Specialist with many years of advanced specialty training and expertise to create the best individualized treatment plan for you and deliver superior implant outcomes
Choose A Qualified Dental Implant Expert
Dr. Bramanti is a Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialist who has the skills and ability to grow bone wherever it is needed. This not only provides the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, but it also provides an opportunity to restore functionality and aesthetic appearance. Bone grafting can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease or injuries. Major bone grafts are typically performed to repair large deformities of the jaws. These deformities may arise because of traumatic injuries, tumor surgery, or congenital defects. Large areas of bone loss are easily repaired by Dr. Bramanti.
How Do I Determine A Dental Implant Expert’s Qualifications?
The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) offers leading education and training programs for dental implant specialists. By choosing an AAID-certified dental implant specialist, you know you’re working with an expert with extensive education, hands-on training, and expertise that will make your dental implant solution a success you can count on for a lifetime. Dr. Bramanti is also an AAID Fellow, distinguishing him as having achieved the highest dental implant knowledge and ability in dental implant dentistry, passing in depth written and oral exams by his peers.
The American Board of Oral Implantology (ABOI) is a nationally recognized certification board that requires an additional series of rigorous requirements, from exhaustive written examinations leading to a rigorous and comprehensive oral examination to review the candidate’s clinical expertise and scope of knowledge by a panel of Board-Certified peers. Board-Certification proves that the candidate has achieved the highest level of competence in Oral Implantology.
Dr. Bramanti has exceptional expertise in implant dentistry and has been recognized by his peers as “The Dental Implant Expert” in Fresno. He is a Board-Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology. As a dual Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialist, and also a Board-Certified Periodontist, Dr. Bramanti brings to his patients the highest level of experience, knowledge, and competence in both implantology, bone grafting and periodontics.
Board Certification represents a personal and professional commitment to the standards of dental implant dentistry and also to continued growth through ongoing education. Board-Certified Diplomates are required to maintain certification through continuing education and periodic testing, which demonstrates a commitment to lifelong learning and requires Diplomates to continually update their knowledge, expertise and skills.
Only a small percentage of periodontists are capable of becoming a Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialist. Board Certification ensures optimal expert training, knowledge, and exceptional care. During his 37 years of experience, Dr. Bramanti has placed over 16,000 dental implants and performed thousands of bone grafting procedures. You are invited to come benefit and rely upon his sophisticated clinical skills and expertise for your treatment needs. Choosing the most qualified and highly trained expert clinician within a specialty will not only ensure the best treatment possible but will also provide peace of mind that you are truly in the hands of a highly trained expert.
If you have suffered bone loss around teeth and in the jaws, or been told you do not have enough jawbone for dental implants, contact Dr. Bramanti for a consultation. Dr. Bramanti will diagnose your condition and provide you with treatment possibilities that make your teeth and jaws whole again.
A Cautionary Note
Be cautious of General Dentists who proclaim “they do implants” but lack the years of specialized dental implant surgical training and credentials. Most General Dentists apply a “One Treatment Fits All Approach” because they lack the treatment range, clinical skillsets, credentialed knowledge, and experience to provide multiple treatment options that best fit your needs.
As a result, you will not receive the full scope of clinical expertise and available possibilities to treat your condition. Dental Implant Expert Specialists are capable offering advanced bone grafting to restore your lost bone to a natural state, giving you greater and more appropriate treatment considerations.
The limited capabilities of General Dentists can result in significant jawbone reduction causing a permanent jaw deformity which may not be reversible. In addition, because General Dentists lack the bone grafting skills found in a Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialist, they are restricted to placing dental implants where bone exists which may not be sufficient in volume or of good quality for your function and dental implant stability.
Don’t trust your dental implant care to a regular dentist who one day “just started doing implants.” Studies have shown that General Dentists are reported to have upwards of 20% or more dental implant failure in their practices when compared to Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialists, reported to have only a 2% failure rate.
If dental implants are not properly planned and precisely positioned, dental implant deterioration and failure can occur due to adverse bite forces and can result in food traps and can be difficult to keep clean. Before deciding to have a General Dentist apply the “One Treatment Fits All Approach” make sure you seek an opinion from a Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialist. If the General Dentist has not offered you the option to seek an opinion from a highly skilled and experienced Dental Implant Expert Specialist, you should be cautious and seek out on your own all available avenues that meet the highest standard of care.
Dr. Bramanti can provide you with treatment possibilities that permit you to have dental implant teeth for the rest of your life, instead of bulky denture appliances that wear out over time and must be replaced. Afterward, you will know that you have done everything you can to ensure that you have the correct diagnosis and a treatment plan that feels right for you.
Seeking a consultation with a Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialist is beneficial
Dr. Bramanti will have more experience in diagnosing and treating tooth replacement options like yours. Consulting a Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialist in the area of your concern can certainly be advantageous to receiving the best possible care available to you. Dr. Bramanti will offer you expertise in your diagnosis and can also offer insight into additional treatment possibilities that the first doctor may not have mentioned or is incapable of offering. As a result, you become more informed about what is available to you and can make a secure decision about your healthcare and your treatment plan.
Dr. Bramanti can provide you with treatment possibilities that permit you to have dental implant teeth for the rest of your life. Afterward, you will know that you have done everything you can to ensure that you have the correct diagnosis and a treatment plan that feels right with you.
AAID-Credentialed Dental Implant Experts obtain advanced education, training and expert evaluations to become AAID-certified and ABOI Board-Certified.
Here’s why you can count on AAID-credentialed and ABOI Board-Certified Experts
When you choose an AAID-credentialed dental implant dentist, you can be confident you’re working with an expert who has the extensive education, training and experience required to make sure your dental implant surgery is a success.
Top 14 Questions To Ask When Choosing A Dental Implant Expert
Experienced dental implant providers will be happy to talk with you about treatment options, share their success stories and answer your questions. Here are 14 important questions to ask before choosing a dental implant dentist:
- Are you an AAID-credentialed implant dentist?
- Are you an ABOI Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert Specialist?
- How long have you been placing dental implants?
- How many dental implant procedures have you performed?
- What’s your success rate?
- What’s your education and training in dental implant treatment?
- Which technique and type of replacement teeth or appliance do you recommend for me, and why?
- What steps are involved in the process, and where and by whom are they performed?
- What should I expect throughout the process in terms of discomfort, recovery time, eating, etc.?
- Will I have teeth throughout the process?
- What type of anesthesia or sedation will I need?
- What are the risks of the treatment option you’re recommending?
- What are the benefits?
- Can you share before-and-after pictures of other patients you have treated?
AAID-credentialed dental implant experts are passionate about helping you live your life the way you want to. You can count on them to give you the smile you deserve, the ability to eat what you want and teeth that feel and act like your natural ones.
Before you decide on any treatment option, you should consult with Dr. Bramanti to learn more about which option is right for you.
Contact Dr. Bramanti today at 559-438-7800 to arrange your personalized consultation appointment.
Dr. Bramanti will gladly answer all your questions and help you choose the best dental implant path and determine if bone grafting is necessary for your individual needs, and guide you to an affordable solution to a better life.