Young woman getting dental filling drying procedure with curing UV light at dental clinic.

Dental Implants and Bone Health: What You Need to Know for a Successful Oral Implant Procedure

Dental implants have become the gold standard for tooth replacement. One benefit of dental implants is that they can stimulate the jawbone, which can help prevent further bone loss in the jaw so its volume and density are preserved.

To be a good candidate for dental implants, patients need to have enough jawbone density to support an implant. Let’s dive in and learn more about dental implants and bone health.

Bone Density Matters for Dental Implants: Here’s Why

Before the dental implant process begins, your dentist must perform a comprehensive exam and evaluation using bone density scans and 3D images to determine whether or not your jawbone can support the implant.

The jawbone is the foundation for dental implants. For this reason, the bone in the jaw has to be dense enough to support the titanium post that serves as the implant’s “root.”

Bone Loss Causes

Bone loss in the jaw can occur for several reasons, including:

  • Advanced gum disease: Gum disease is a bacterial infection that can make its way down to the jawbone and cause significant damage. Because the bone in your jaw is made up of living cell tissue, it’s prone to infection.
  • Missing teeth: When you chew and bite, it stimulates the jawbone. A person missing a tooth can suffer from insufficient jawbone stimulation, which causes deterioration in the bone.
  • Dental trauma: An injury to the mouth can knock a tooth out, fracture it, or cause the tooth’s position on the jaw to shift.

How Bone Loss Impacts Dental Implants

When a person loses a tooth, the jawbone in the area where tooth loss occurred starts to shrink and resorb over time. In addition to being unable to support a dental implant, bone loss in the jaw can compromise the integrity of a person’s facial structure and the neighboring teeth.

Osteoporosis and Dental Implants

With osteoporosis, bones can become weaker, which makes them more prone to breakage. However, people with osteoporosis can benefit from dental implants if the dentist determines the patient has minimal risk of injury to the surrounding tissue and teeth.

A review of 15 studies in 2017 concluded that people with osteoporosis don’t have an increased risk of dental implant failure. Although there was more significant bone loss around the dental implant, the implants were still thriving.

Low Bone Density and Bone Grafting

Patients who lack sufficient bone mass to support the implant will need bone grafting to improve their dental implant success. In bone grafting, bone tissue is transferred to repair defects in the jawbone. The bone graft material may be synthetic or come from a donor.

Bone grafting has the added benefit of regenerating lost bone if bone loss has occurred. Equally important, a bone graft fortifies the foundation where the dental implants will be placed.

Osseointegration: How the Implant Fuses With the Jawbone

The process in which the titanium screw integrates with the jawbone is called osseointegration. After the dentist places the implant in your mouth, the bone grows around the post naturally. This makes the implant secure and stable, which allows it to function nearly identically to a natural tooth. An implant can’t correctly stay in place without successful osseointegration.

Signs That a Dental Implant Is Successful

Clinical trials and studies have shown several signs that a dental implant procedure has been successful. These include patient experiences and clinical observation.

  • No significant pain at the implant site indicates the implant has fused successfully with the soft tissue and bone.
  • The implant feels like a natural part of the patient’s mouth and feels secure and stable.
  • Biting and chewing feel natural.
  • There is no inflammation, infection, or swelling around the implant site.

What if a Dental Implant Is Unsuccessful?

If a dental implant is deemed unsuccessful, your oral surgeon or dentist will determine what caused the implant failure. Sometimes, they will remove the implant and place a new one once the area has healed. Some situations may require procedures like bone grafting to improve the chances of a successful implant.

A Lafayette, Louisiana Dentist Can Your Questions About Dental Implants

Dr. Ryan Hebert and the staff at Hebert Family Dentistry in Lafayette, Louisiana, can answer your questions about dental implants and bone health. Call today at (337) 233-1271 to schedule your consultation. You can also use the Contact Us form on our website to schedule an appointment.