When teeth are lost, the bone that supported them gradually melts away. This can create esthetic problems as the overlying gum tissue shrinks, as well as premature aging as the face “collapses” in the area of bone loss. Placement of dental implants is impossible when insufficient bone is present.
Bone grafting allows us to increase bone volume so that dental implants can be placed and esthetics as well as function restored.
Sinus Lift Procedure
The maxillary sinuses are located above the roots of your upper back teeth. Sinuses are like empty rooms with nothing in them. When these upper back teeth are removed, there often remains only a small amount of bone between the floor of the sinus and mouth. If this bone is too thin, implants can’t be placed.
A sinus lift can correct this problem. With this procedure, the surgeon creates a window to the sinus where the back teeth’s roots used to be, then a bone graft is packed into the area, effectively raising the floor of the sinus. After this procedure, dental implants can be placed in the newly formed bone.
Ridge Preservation
Careful management of extraction sockets after tooth extraction prevents bone loss and provides a better cosmetic outcome for tooth replacement. Preserving the volume and anatomy of bone & gum tissue after extraction is the goal of ridge preservation. With this procedure, a bone graft material is placed in the extraction socket. This prevents bone resorption and tissue collapse commonly seen after extraction.