How Implants Prevent Bone Loss

Las Vegas, NV

Dental implants are the most common and successful restorative option for missing teeth today, whether it be single tooth dental implants, multiple tooth implants, implant supported dentures, or the All-on-4® Treatment Concept. Dental implants are made from small titanium posts which are embedded surgically into your jawbone. They contain a connector, or abutment, which is placed on top of the implant posts. Atop of that, is the dental crown, or your new tooth.

There are several factors that may determine if you are a candidate for dental implants. One of the most important is if you have enough jawbone strength and density to support the dental implant. The good news is, even if you do not, we offer surgical options at Nevada Oral & Facial Surgery to strengthen your jawbone and prepare you so you can later get dental implants.

Sinus Lift

A sinus lift, also called sinus augmentation, is an available surgical procedure that can prepare you for dental implant surgery. Sinus lifts would be needed if you do not have enough bone structure in the upper jaw to support the dental implants. At Nevada Oral & Facial Surgery, we can provide you more information on sinus lift procedures, such as types of bone grafts used, surgery preparation, and details of the actual procedure.

Surgery Preparation

Before your surgery, you will be scheduled for a consultation at our office. Here, you will speak to our dentist about the details of the procedure and available bone graft types. We can use one of three different types of bone grafts; autogenous, allogenic, and xenograft. Autogenous bone grafts are those which come from your own body. Allogenic bone grafts are donated from a cadaver. Xenografts are animal bone grafts, usually coming from a cow. In addition, we can also use a synthetic bone material.

We will take x-rays and provide measurements of your sinus bone in order to properly plan the surgery. This includes both the height and width. Once this is complete, you will be scheduled for your sinus lift surgery.

Procedure

You should expect the surgery to take between 90 minutes and two hours. We will provide both general and local anesthetic, so you will be asleep during the procedure.

The procedure begins with an incision in the gum near your back teeth so that we can access the upper jawbone. When the jawbone is exposed, we will create a small opening in the bone which will be the access point to manipulate the sinus membrane.

With the membrane moved upward in the sinus cavity, there will now be more open space for new bone development. At this point, we will move the existing bone upward and fill the previously occupied space with the selected bone graft. This bone graft can then act as a base for your dental implant. We will complete the surgery by suturing the incision.

Missing teeth results in bone loss. If you suffer from tooth loss, contact Nevada Oral & Facial Surgery today. There is no reason to continue to suffer with missing teeth, and the bone loss that is a result of it. Call us at (702) 360-8918 to schedule a consultation appointment.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”777″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” el_class=”img_col”][/vc_column][/vc_row]