Bone loss

[Alyssa]

My upper middle tooth was extracted last summer because it became infected and my dentist made a plate for me to wear to cover the gap.

I have tried to wear the plate but I find it hard to use, mostly when I am eating the plate keeps moving up and down and I have decided the best thing would be to have a dental implant.

I saw an implant dentist today and he said that since last summer, the bone in that area has suffered bone loss and will now need a bone graft before he could place an implant there. He told me as time goes on, there will be more bone loss and that might mean that the area might need more bone grafting.

Could you please let me know how a bone graft works and what's the procedure for getting one done and how long is the implant going to take? I would like to get rid of this denture as soon as I can.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your question.

After a tooth is removed, the bone begins to resorb away and as time goes on, more and more bone resorbs away. Its important to have plenty of bone for dental implants as they need bone around them to keep them in the jaw and for primary stability.

If a socket has suffered bone loss, it would be wise to assess if there is enough bone available for an implant. If there is minor bone loss, then an implant could be placed with bone grafting at the same time. If there is major bone loss, there will be a need to do bone grafting first and wait 6-8 months for bone regeneration before placing an implant.

CT scans are a good tool for assessing the bone quantity. They can be done these days very cheaply for around £60 to assess the socket and see if there is enough bone available for immediate implant placement or if a delayed approach is necessary.

You can find out more about bone grafts on the following links:

Kingston Implant Dentists. Dental Implants. Affordable Dental Implants Kingston.

Kingston Implant Dentists. Dental Implants. Affordable Dental Implants Kingston.

Best regards
Mohsen