Bone grafting is definitely a boon to people who have eroded jawbone and are in need of dental implants. The area where the missing teeth were rooted in the jawbone begins to become weak due to non-availability of stimulus pressure from the opposing teeth. This means there is no re-mineralization of the jawbone and as a result becomes atrophied or receded.
Why Are Bone Grafts needed for Dental Implant Positioning?
There are many reasons that can be attributed to why bones grafts are needed for dental implants positioning.
- As said any previous missing tooth could cause bone loss and it can necessitate bone grafts.
- Any injury to the jaw bone might necessitate the need.
- If the oral region has been affected with periodontitis then the jawbone would also get affected and recede as a result. This can necessitate getting bone graft prior to getting dental implants
- If there was a birth defect that affected the shape of the jawbone, then bone grafts are necessary.
- On the same length, if the jawbone has lesser bone density and thickness by nature, it necessitates bone grafts.
Are Bone Grafts Definitely Needed? Can Bone Grafts not be avoided?
Actually, short implants can serve the purpose of getting dental implants without the need to get bone grafts. However, concern still remains on the stability of short implants. Though marked improvements have been made in the field of implantology, still many dentists prefer the longer dental implants for their stability. It has been estimated that shorter implants have a slightly higher percentage of failure than their longer counterparts. One study says that while 3% of the regular/longer dental implants might fail, the figure for the short implants is almost three times higher at 10%.
Advantages and Benefits of Bone Grafting
- They restore the original shape of the jawbone.
- They vastly improve the aesthetics of the oral and face region.
- They can provide a longer length of jawbones which can be advantageous to fix long dental implants.
- They drastically increase the health of the underlying jawbone, teeth and the gums.