Our Denver Dental Implant dentists,
Dr. James DeLapp and
Dr. H. Candace DeLapp
provide dental implants in a variety of situations. Obviously, the most
important element in placing implants is the width and depth of
the bone. Bone "width" in particular is critical in the mandibular
anterior (front lower) and bone "depth" in the maxillary (upper)
premolar area is critical where the maxillary sinus is located. Implant
dentists talk about the "quality" of bone and this is related to how dense
or compact the bone is. As a general rule, the more dense (as opposed to spongy) the bone is the
greater likely the implant will be retained.Dentist Highlands Ranch
When a tooth is lost, the bone around it begins to resorb and the dental ridge narrows (in a sagittal direction). This process of narrowing of the bone (alveolar crest) takes place post extraction. This bone loss progress with time and the general the rule of thumb the "lower" (mandibular) ridge resorbs three times faster than the upper jaw. If the resorption is too severe even bone grafting in the area may not solve the problem.
Bone augmentation treatment options
Our Denver Implant dentist and their referring surgeons use a variety of techniques to augment bone. The dental implant surgery usually take place over two visits. If there is a need for bone grafting it could be three or more! There are even specific cases where implants "may" be placed in one visit. The techniques used to add bone to the implant area includes but is not limited to:
- Guided bone regeneration
- Distraction and...
- osteocompression
- Crestal splitting technique
- Maxillary sinus lifts
- Other
For most of our patients the above choice means little and is included to illustrate that many different techniques "may" be used. In some cases, a combination of several techniques may be used. When extracting teeth in any area ...dentist were initially taught to compress the socket to aid in healing. Today, with some notable exceptions, this technique is not as widely accepted. Compressing the socket narrows the dental ridge and makes it difficult to restore with a dental bridge or place a dental implant. In "many" cases we are asking the surgeon to place a synthetic bone matrix (etc.) into the tooth socket to even get more bone than we had available in the past.
Determining the amount of bone
Determing the amount of bone available in the past was accomplished by examination of the contours of the ridge through examination or study of dental impressions. While reliable, it did not always show bony defects that were found during dental implant placement. CAT scans andCAD/CAM technology has help this process tremendously. Nobel Biocare is a leader in implant dentistry and has 3-D imaging software that helps evaluate the underlying bone.
Placement of bone to aid in the retention of a dental implant is becoming more and more commonplace. As dentists we need a dental ridge that is both wide and deep. Please feel free to contact our Denver Implants dentist at (303) 694-9740 for an appointment today. If you prefer.. you can e-mail them your questions by clicking on the following link Questions on Denver Dental Implants.
