When your jawbone loses mass and density due to tooth loss, this could weaken it considerably and lead to an aged appearance. While dental implants can strengthen the jaw, you may not be able to support them! But your Santa Rosa, CA, oral and maxillofacial surgeons can help with jawbone grafting.
The Loss of Mass and Density
How does our jaw weaken? When we lose natural teeth, this causes the body to suspend the flow of key nutrients to the jaw around the missing roots. Over time, this means the area degrades and breaks down, which in turn causes further tooth loss and an aged appearance. The presence of periodontal disease could also weaken and erode bone structure. For some, this means there simply is not enough structure to support new teeth in the form of dental implants, which limits your ability to fill the gaps in your smile and avoid further complications due to missing tooth roots. But we can help strengthen the jaw with a grafting procedure.
The Grafting Procedure
The procedure involves adding new structure to the lower portion of your smile to strengthen it. For example, we could take bone from the rear of your jaw, your hip, or your knee. We also have synthetic and donor options. These materials will be used to create a type of scaffolding that new structures can grow around, fortifying the weakened portions of your smile. As the area heals, we will be able to insert dental implants into these newly restored areas. The body then accepts the implants as new roots, stimulating the growth of bone structure to preserve your smile and allow your new teeth to last for years to come, decades or even a lifetime in some cases.
Anesthesia and Sedation
We wany your treatment experience to be comfortable and allow you to enjoy a positive time in the office. We will numb the area being treated with a local anesthesia, and we can also choose from one of our sedation options to help you enter a deep state of calm and relaxation, often with little to no memory of the procedure at all. If you have any questions about how we restore smiles with our grafting procedure, or about how we place one or more dental implants, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you enjoy good oral health, with results that can last for years to come!
Learn More About Ridge Augmentation in Santa Rosa, CA
Our team wants to help you smile with confidence, and that means strengthening the weakened portions of your jaw. To learn more about how our team can prepare your smile to receive dental implants, then give us a call at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery at (707)545-4625 today!
