What is Bone Loss?

Bone loss often occurs following a tooth extraction, but some patients deal with bone loss due to periodontal disease. Periodontal disease, or gum disease as it is commonly called, will cause the gums to become infected with bacteria, which pulls the gum tissue away from the teeth. If the gums are unhealthy, they can begin to infect the bone tissue, which could cause a person to start losing their teeth. What begins as a mild case of gingivitis can quickly become a serious problem with a negative impact on your bones. Invasive surgery is required to treat serious gum disease. If you have lost teeth due to gum disease, you may be ineligible for dental implants as the bone and gum tissue is not healthy enough to support a dental implant. Schedule a consultation with us to find out if you are eligible for dental implants.

Bone loss can start to occur under the gums, without showing standard signs of gum disease including inflammation, bleeding, and recession. To determine if you have adequate bone for implants, we will take X-rays and thoroughly examine the area.

Vertical Bone Loss – Periodontal Bone Loss

With periodontal disease, bone loss can be severe around some teeth, but can be fine in other areas. When dealing with focal loss, we often see problems with defects in the canals of the teeth being held in place. Vertical bone loss is recognized quickly by Dr. Hendriks, and he will then discuss the best treatment method to improve and prevent future bone loss.

Standard implant placement at various bone levels.

What are the best options for patients in need of dental implants when their gum tissue is not supportive, and their bone loss is extreme? There are a variety of dental implant methods that can be used, some of which will end up using small screws that attach within the bone and larger crowns that are fastened to them.

Tooth extraction is best for patients with severe periodontal disease. Removing the teeth reduces the risk of infection and actually helps to reduce bone loss, preserving what is left of the jawbone. We can determine if bone grafts will help to improve the strength of the bone to be supportive of dental implants. The above image depicts various dental implant options we use for patients suffering with periodontal disease.

To find out more about the state of your teeth, please come and see us. Our consultations involve a painless 3D CT Scan, and talking to a Dream Dental doctor about your options.