We offer periodontic care and laser dentistry to help treat and manage gum disease. But along with that, we can also take on the impacts of the disease, including tooth loss and weakened jawbone structure. In today’s blog, Dr. Ann Kania talks about strengthening your smile with jawbone grafting!

How Jawbone Structure Weakens

When you lose your natural teeth due to periodontitis (advanced gum disease), this could cause the surrounding jawbone structure to weaken and erode. When this happens, you could be left without enough structure to support dental implants, limiting your ability to address tooth loss. The same process could lead to further tooth loss and even an aged appearance. Our team can use dental lasers and other periodontic options to manage the disease and protect your smile, and to replace missing teeth we can secure dental implants. But what if your jaw is too weak to support one or more dental implant posts? If this happens, we can offer grafting!

Grafting

Also known as ridge augmentation, this process can strengthen the lower portion of the smile. We will plan the process in detail with the latest in digital imaging technology. New tissues will be surgically added to the lower jaw. The tissues could be taken from other parts of the body, such as the rear of the jaw, knee bone, or hip. We could also use synthetic or donor tissues too. The new structures will bond with the smile and provide new structure to support dental implants and aid in tooth placement!

Dental Implants and Laser Care

When your lower jaw is grafted and ready, we will guide the placement of one or more dental implants into the jaw with precision and accuracy. These will act like new roots and bond with the newly strengthened jawbone, so your new teeth have the potential to last for decades to come, possibly a lifetime! To ensure that periodontal disease does not cause further tooth loss or implant failure, then we could offer laser treatment. To manage the issue, we could also discuss routine dental cleanings every three to four months, as well as Ozone Therapy or antimicrobial medications and better homecare habits.

If you have any questions about how we strengthen your smile in preparation for dental implant placement with jawbone grafting, then talk to our team today and schedule your next visit soon!

Schedule Your Appointment for a Stronger Smile

We can help address the loss of structure in your jaw that could follow gum disease and missing teeth. We want to make sure you can smile with confidence again and enjoy optimal oral health and bite function. To learn more about preventing or addressing the loss of smile density, call Dr. Ann Kania in Encinitas, CA, today at 760-642-0711.