Bone Grafts: What happens if I have inadequate bone?

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Bone Grafting For Dental Implants

Do you have missing teeth? Have you had a missing tooth for an extended period?

This might mean you have a low jawbone density, which will need to be looked at and treated to make your implant treatment success. 

But don’t worry. Patients with insufficient bone can still receive dental implants by having an additional bone grafting procedure to replenish the bone.

Ideally, patients who have lost a tooth should begin installing an implant immediately. However, patients may also be suitable for placement up to six months to several years after tooth loss, depending on bone loss.

Book an appointment to assess your mouth.

How do I find out if I have sufficient bone?

We often see patients who have allowed their missing teeth to go untreated experience problems with insufficient bone density as a consequence.

Typically teeth would have begun to show movement and might have had to be removed in the past.

‘Wobbly teeth’ can be a sign of inadequate bone.

This means that they needed to undergo a further bone graft procedure to reverse and restore, ensuring implant placements are successful and durable. 

Patients who have lost a tooth, especially to a severe infection or decay, can often experience further tooth loss and oral health complications due to a portion of the jawbone deteriorating. 

Depending on the severity of your condition, times to rectify this problem can vary.

Implant benefits:

• Long-lasting
• Natural-looking
• Improved appearance
• Better comfort
• Easier eating
• Improved oral health

What’s the procedure like?

The treatment will involve the taking of bone from other areas where it is not technically needed. 

Then, we graft this bone into your jawbone, where it will build enough volume to hold and support the implant.

In many cases, the extra bone is taken from a different portion of the mouth.

It will generally take around three months then for the implant to fuse with existing bone.

Tried and tested, it is one of the most reliable procedures available to allow patient mouths to be fit enough to hold implants.

Depending on the situation, other procedures may be required, like sinus elevation or augmentation, which could add several months to your healing time and push back your scheduled implant placement. 

See more: Procedures you might need before implants.

When you might need a sinus lift

For the upper jaw, the bone height may be limited by the presence of the sinus.

In this case, it is easily possible to increase the bone height by performing a Sinus Graft procedure or Sinus Lift procedure. More.

Sinus Graft procedure is the treatment of choice when the extra volume and height of bone is more than a few millimetres.

Sinus graft is a minor procedure where a small window, about 1cm diameter, gently lifts the sinus lining and bone placed.

We advocate a healing period of 3 – 6 months before the placement of the implant.

The sinus lift procedure uses osteotomes (special hand use implant instruments with a blunt end), where we lift the sinus floor by a few millimetres allowing for the increased size of the height of the implant.

It is essential to speak to a restorative dentist about the possibility of implants and if you are a viable candidate for the procedure or not. 

With x-rays, a dentist will soon be able to diagnose what procedures are required so that you can have a successful implant.

See more about possible procedures required prior to implants.

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Before and After photos