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Bone Graft for Dental Implants: Understanding the Possibility

bone grafting for dental implants

When someone loses teeth, dental implants are the best restoration option. With proper maintenance, they can last a lifetime, and they look and feel like natural teeth. However, not everyone qualifies for implants right away. You may need to undergo bone grafting first, but the only way to be sure is to schedule a time to visit Gulf Coast Smiles.

When Is a Bone Graft Essential?

Over time, people lose density in the jawbone. Additionally, if the tooth has been missing for a while, then the jawbone will deteriorate faster. The roots of teeth stimulate the bone tissue, keeping it vibrant. However, when those roots are lost, the jawbone tissue in that area no longer has a function, so the body resorbs it. Therefore, when patients wait too long to get dental implants, it is possible the jawbone is too weak to support the implant.

An implant needs to fuse with the jawbone to work. This is known as osseointegration, and it keeps the implant secure to hold the abutment and crown in place. The jawbone needs to be strong enough to fuse properly.

What Does the Grafting Procedure Entail?

Our dentist will either take bone tissue from another part of the body or use a specialized grafting material to put into the jawbone. You will need to wait for several months for the graft to take hold. At a later appointment, our dentist will test to make sure the jawbone is strong enough to support the implant.

What Should You Do?

You need to contact our office to schedule a consultation today if you need implants. Through an examination, Dr. Mauricio Martinez will be able to tell if bone grafting is necessary first. It will increase the total cost of your implants, but it may be the only way to get them. Before starting anything, Dr. Martinez will provide you with an estimate of the entire procedure. 

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How Do You Avoid Bad Breath from Wearing Dentures?

bad breath and dentures in cape coral fl

There are many causes of chronic bad breath, known as halitosis. So it can be a bit of a challenge to find the source, or sources, and solve the problem. Yes, there could be more than one issue responsible for making your breath draw the wrong kind of attention to you. Might it be your dentures? Find out how you can determine if your dentures are the source of your breath odor and take a look at what you can do to rule it out as a suspect.

Dentures and Bad Breath

If you don’t clean your dentures carefully and on a regular basis, there’s a very strong chance they’re either the source of the problem or a major contributing factor. Food particles can get caught, not just between the teeth of this dental appliance, but in the underside of the dentures as well. To rule out your dentures as the source of your breath odor, make sure you clean your dental appliance thoroughly and regularly.

Cleaning Your Dentures

Taking care of your dentures is a lot like caring for natural teeth, with just a few more steps. Here are the items you need to check off your denture cleaning list every day:

Brush your dentures – don’t just brush the teeth area. Brush the gums area and on the underside of your dental appliance every day to inhibit bacteria growth on your dentures.

Rinse your mouth too – there’s little use in keeping one or the other clean, as bacteria will just spread from one to the other. So when you take your dentures out for maintenance, be sure to clean your mouth as well.

Handle your dentures with care – chips, cracks and scrapes in or on your dentures make it easier for bacteria to incubate and spread.

If you’ve been near flawless in caring for your mouth and dentures, yet the halitosis persists, one of the following issues might be the culprit:

·         Dry mouth

·         Medications

·         Smoking

·         Chronic illness

Get Definitive Answers

The best way to get to determine if your dental appliance is the source of your halitosis is to check in with a local dentist.

Click here to schedule a consultation to talk to a dentist about issues regarding your dentures in Cape Coral FL. 

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The 2 Major Implant Dentistry Solutions

woman looks in mirror at dental implants

You do not have to live with missing teeth where multiple options are available to help you. Before you set your mind on one, you should schedule a consultation with Dr. Mauricio Martinez at Gulf Coast Smiles. He will review two of the most popular options at our office, which are dental implants and implant supported dentures. From there, you can decide for yourself which one is best for you.

1. Dental Implants

Implants are titanium posts the dentist surgically places into the jawbone. Over the course of several months, the post will fuse with the bone, and this is known as osseointegration. Once the post is secure, our dentist will place a crown or bridge on top of the implant. After this appointment, you will be able to eat and laugh like you normally did.

You must have adequate bone tissue and healthy gums to be a good candidate for dental implants. As long as you care for your restoration by brushing daily and seeing Dr. Martinez once every six months, your implant can last for a lifetime.

2. Implant Supported Dentures

When you need to replace most or all of your teeth, you may need implant supported dentures. With this procedure, our dentist can replace an entire arch of teeth at once without requiring a single implant for each individual tooth. You will need multiple appointments, similar to implants, to first put the posts into place and later the dentures.

Unlike traditional dentures, you will not have to worry about your restoration slipping around your mouth. The implants keep the dentures firmly in place, so you can chew with confidence.

Schedule an Appointment

The only way to know which one is best for your situation is to contact our office. You can schedule a consultation with Dr. Martinez to see if he has any recommendations. Before you know it, your smile will look as good as new.