How Dental Implants Strengthen Your Jawbone

While dentures and dental bridges are suitable tooth replacements for filling in gaps in the smile and restoring tooth functionality, they lack one crucial aspect - preservation of the jawbone. This is where dental implants come in to save the day. 

An implant restores the entire tooth, from the crown down to the root so that you never have to deal with shifting teeth or bone loss again. Read on in this blog from Healthy Smiles Dentistry to find out how dental implants from our Fairfax practice can strengthen your jawbone. 

Implants Fuse With Your Jawbone

After implanting a titanium post into your jawbone, the crucial recovery process happens in the first 3 to 6 months. During this time, osseointegration takes place, which is the slow process of the jawbone growing over the implant until they become fused as one. 

When osseointegration takes place successfully, the implant becomes firmly embedded into the jawbone, where it will never move. This is a game changer for patients who previously suffered from tooth movement when eating or speaking with dentures. 

After osseointegration has been completed, we reopen the gums to attach the abutment and dental crown. At the end of the process, you will have an artificial tooth that is as close to your real tooth as possible. 

Not only have we restored the visible crown in your mouth, but the implant also forms an artificial tooth root that securely holds the restoration in place and provides enough strength and durability to last for 25 years to a lifetime without moving and enables you to eat a restriction-free diet. 

Dental Implants Prevent Bone Loss

Implants are advertised as a tooth replacement that prevents bone loss, but most people are unsure of exactly how they do this. The process is all in the formation of the artificial tooth root. Your jawbone is preserved through the continual regeneration of cells. 

Cell regeneration only occurs when the jawbone receives stimulation from chewing. Without a tooth root, the jawbone no longer receives stimulation when you chew. This is why denture and dental bridges don’t prevent bone loss. 

However, when we go beneath the gums to embed an implant into your jawbone and attach a tooth restoration from there, your jawbone receives stimulation from chewing again. As a result, your jawbone continues to replenish itself, preventing bone loss.

Why Bone Loss Occurs

Bone loss can be triggered by a variety of things but when you lose a tooth, you are certain to suffer from irreversible jawbone loss. This is because the loss of stimulation to the jawbone when you chew leads to bone resorption. It can also be caused by gum disease, jaw injury, teeth grinding, and a misaligned bite. 

So, why does this matter? When you suffer from bone loss, it can have far-reaching consequences such as changes to your facial structure, changes to your bite, orthodontic problems, and lack of support for dental implants. 

Find Out If You’re a Candidate for Dental Implants in Fairfax

Dental implants require healthy and sufficient bone density in the jaw to support the implant and for successful osseointegration to take place. However, if you’re replacing a missing tooth that was lost years ago, you likely already have bone loss. 

Don’t worry, this doesn’t rule you out as a candidate for dental implants. Contact us at Healthy Smiles Dentistry in Fairfax today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Ridhi Doshi-Shah so we can take X-Rays of your jawbone to determine if you need a bone grafting procedure to create sufficient bone support.