Bone loss is a devastating consequence of tooth loss. The most common cause of bone loss is not replacing lost teeth, especially when there’ more than one lost tooth. This is because the health of the jawbone is preserved through constant pressure and when that is reduced due to tooth loss, the bone tends to deteriorate.
At Harley Street Dental Clinic in Harley Street, dental implants are our treatment of choice for patients who have lost one, several or all of their natural teeth. Unlike conventional bridges and dentures, dental implants do not sit on the gums. Instead, they are embedded into the jawbone, where they create a strong and sturdy foundation for natural-looking replacement teeth.
Bone loss and dentures
Conventional dentures can hasten bone loss by gradually wearing away the soft tissue and the bone they are placed on. As a result, long-term denture wearers find that their dentures become loose and uncomfortable over time and are even painful when they talk or eat. People who wear dentures can also experience the collapse of their facial characteristics, especially around the ridge bone. This can cause jaw related-problems such as headaches and bite issues.
How can dental implants help?
Dental implants fuse and integrate into the jawbone naturally, serving as foundations for the installation of replacement teeth. An important reason to consider dental implants for replacing one or more missing teeth is the maintenance of the jawbone. The jawbone requires constant stimulation to remain healthy and dental implants offer this type of stimulation because they restore communication among the nerves, muscles and jaw joints.
What about loss of bone density?
When bones loses density it becomes more porous. Density loss is much less common than loss of bone volume, but can happen. Bone can lose density because of a variety of factors, including diet, hormonal imbalances, gum disease, and even tooth loss.
Bone density can be detected with CT scans and what can be done is to avoid the areas of low density or use mini dental implants.
Contact us
To learn more about dental implants in Harley Street and how they can protect your jawbone, get in touch with our friendly team today.