A Bone Or Gum Graft Could Help Rebuild Your Smile
You can do a lot of things thanks to restorative dentistry.
You can replace a single tooth, or you can undergo full-mouth reconstruction. Two services that can help you reclaim your healthy smile are bone grafts and gum grafts.
If you aren’t sure if you could benefit from either of those services, keep reading. Today, we will discuss why we perform these procedures and how they may be able to help you.
If you live in or near Sand Springs, OK, call our dentist office at (918) 245-5976 or fill out our online contact form.
Schedule a consultation today at Galleria of Smiles, and give yourself a reason to smile again!
Why You May Need A Bone Graft
Bone grafts are a way to rebuild lost bone tissue. In restorative dentistry, this is often done as a way to restore the shape and size of a patient’s jawbone.
So, what causes people’s jaws to start shrinking? Losing teeth does.
Losing a single tooth can sometimes be enough to cause a person to lose 25 percent of the bone mass in that part of his or her mouth in a single year. (Not everyone, but some people.)
As you might suspect, the more teeth you lose, the greater your risk of bone loss.
Your teeth and your jaw have (or had) a mutually beneficial relationship. When your jaw is healthy, it secures your teeth in your mouth. In return, your teeth help keep your jaw healthy.
When you eat, the roots of your teeth press into your jawbone with each bite and chew. Your jaw responds to that pressure by making new bone tissue.
When you lose teeth, your jawbone does not receive the pressure that signals it to make new bone tissue. As a result, it will begin to shrink as the old tissue is reabsorbed.
Dental implants are simply the best way to replace missing teeth. The implants replace your roots, which can prevent further bone loss. Unfortunately, you need a minimum amount of bone to support a dental implant.
This is when a bone graft can help.
What Happens During A Bone Graft?
A bone graft is a type of oral surgery.
During this procedure, our dentist in Sand Springs, OK, will transplant bone tissue onto your jaw. As you recover from this procedure, the existing bone and the transplanted bone will grow together. This will create a solid foundation strong enough to support your dental implants.
Why You May Need a Gum Graft
A gum graft is done to replace missing gum tissue.
This procedure is often needed as a result of gum disease, which is one of the major causes of gum recession. In the advanced stages, your gums can separate from your teeth.
The can occur because plaque and tartar (hardened plaque) are building on the roots of your teeth. This can form a pocket between the roots of your teeth and your gums.
As part of a gum disease treatment, we may need to remove infected tissue from your mouth. This means you physically have less gum tissue.
Gum recession also can occur as a result of aggressive tooth brushing. If you brush too hard or use stiff bristles, you can damage and weaken your gum tissue.
In either situation, a gum graft can restore your gums to a full and healthy size.
What Happens During A Gum Graft?
As with a bone graft, transplanted tissue is added where it is needed in your mouth during a gum graft procedure.
The tissue used in a gum graft can come from another part of your mouth, or it can come from donated tissue. As with the bone graft, you will need time to recover from this procedure. As you do, the existing gum tissue and the transplanted tissue will grow together to restore your healthy gums (and to protect the roots of your teeth).
If your gums appear to be pulling away from your teeth, please contact Galleria of Smiles as soon as possible. With early gum disease treatment, you may be able to avoid needing a gum graft in the future.
Is Something Missing From Your Smile?
Then schedule an appointment a Galleria of Smiles. Dr. M. Emami can examine your mouth and let you if a bone graft, a gum graft, or another restorative service could bring back your healthy smile.
Call 918-245-5976 or contact us online.
