While it’s true that dental implants boast a success rate of somewhere in the high 90 per cent range, they need certain aspects to be right in the mouth – namely:
If you are lacking in either one or the other, or both, then dental implant placement is difficult at best and impossible at worst.
Here’s the good news…
If you don’t have sufficient bone to initially anchor an implant into or sufficient space so it can sit comfortably, we can create either, through the processes of bone grafting and sinus lifting. At our Earls Court practice, both grafting and lifting are common procedures regularly carried out by our experienced team. As such these common procedures give people hope who may have otherwise been told they weren’t eligible for implant-based treatment.
Also known as ‘sinus elevation’ or ‘sinus augmentation’ this procedure is an effective surgical process used to elevate the sinus cavity to allow room and safe placement of a dental implant. Typically, treatment is carried out when molars or premolars are being replaced as they are located in the vicinity of the sinus area.
When bone diminishes, the air-filled cavities of the sinus membrane expand to fill the areas where the now missing bone once was. This reduces the amount of bone (and space) available to anchor a dental implant into. A sinus lifting procedure raises the floor of the sinus cavity and encourages new bone growth making it possible to establish a solid implant-to-bone relationship.
When teeth are missing for any time, bone tissue starts to reabsorb back into the body. Studies show that as much as 50% of the alveolar (jaw) bone can be lost within the first 12 months after tooth loss. Dental bone grafting, often referred to as bone augmentation, replaces bone that is missing through tooth loss to allow dental implants to be placed.
The transfer of bone tissue can either be taken from other areas of the patient’s body (autogenous grafting), the insertion of donor bone from another human (allogenic grafting) or even the placement of a synthetic, man-made, protein-rich material. The procedure is typically conducted chairside and will be completed before any implants are placed to allow sufficient time for the area to heal.
After a bone grafting or sinus lifting procedure, patients may expect some side effects but any discomfort can normally be brought under control using over-the-counter medications like Paracetamol or Ibuprofen. Additionally, patients may also expect:
Any discomfort or swelling should dissipate within a few days.
After 7-10 days, you will be asked to return to our Earls Court practice for a follow-up visit to check everything is okay and the graft is starting to take. At this time, any non-dissolving stitches will also be removed.
Most patients will need to wait 3-9 months until the site is healed and the bone has fully taken before implants are placed. However, individual timings can be discussed with our Predent dentist.
If you are considering dental implants but have been told you’re ineligible because of a lack of bone, talk to the team at Predent here in Earls Court about our pre-implant treatments. We can help using the latest grafting technology, so you’re one step closer to getting the smile you want.
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