Losing natural teeth and not seeking replacement with dental implants means the jaw will gradually break down and weaken. This could cause further tooth loss, an aged appearance, and could limit your ability to receive dental implants. But we can help! In today’s blog, your Santa Rosa, CA, oral and maxillofacial surgeons talk about the ridge augmentation process.

Tooth Loss and Weakened Jaw

When we lose teeth, whether due to injury or periodontal disease, this could cause the body to stop sending doses of calcium and phosphorus to the area around the missing root. The bone tissue then gradually weakens and breaks down, which can lead to further tooth loss. As you continue to lose natural teeth, this means an older appearance is possible.

Since dental implants need jawbone structure to support them, you could find yourself unable to receive these durable, long-lasting, and lifelike replacement teeth. But our team can help strengthen your jaw with a ridge augmentation, also known as jawbone grafting.

The Ridge Augmentation

To begin, our team will conduct a detailed examination with digital x-rays and CBCT imaging, which uses a fraction of the radiation and provides images instantly chairside. We can assess the weakened areas and plan the ridge augmentation to fortify them and ensure your smile can support dental implants. We will take bone tissue from other parts of your smile, such as your hip, knee, or the rear of your jaw. Our team could also use synthetic or donor sources too.

We apply these new tissues to the weakened areas of the jaw, where they bond with the bone tissue and provide a new base to support one or more dental implants!

Replacing Missing Teeth

Once the grafting area heals, we will move forward with the replacement of your missing tooth or teeth. The dental implant is a post that is screw-like in appearance, and made from biocompatible titanium. The body accepts this as natural root structure, and the flow of key nutrients resumes. This helps strengthen the jaw, so it doesn’t weaken and break down, and can instead support a new tooth for decades to come, possibly a lifetime. If you have any questions about how our team will strengthen your jaw with grafting procedures or if you want to replace lost teeth, then contact our team today to learn more. You deserve a full and beautiful smile!

Talk to Us About Rebuilding Your Smile

Our team wants to help you enjoy a full smile, and with grafting we can strengthen your jaw and ready your smile for dental implants. When you want to strengthen your jaw, feel free to contact Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA by calling (707) 545-4625.