When you lose a tooth, you aren’t just losing chewing function and aesthetics—your jaw bone health can become compromised as well. When your jaw no longer has stimulation of a tooth root, the bone will begin to recede, often in a matter of months after a tooth is lost! Having adequate jaw bone volume matters for several reasons:
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- Retains facial appearance—bone loss can give you an aged, sunken-in appearance.
- Prevents tooth movement—teeth surrounding an empty gap can begin to shift into the empty space.
- Qualifies for dental implants—implants require adequate bone to be firmly held in place.
- Dr. Jean-Claude Kharmouche, your local periodontist in Leesburg, VA, offers effective bone grafting treatment to help you restore lost bone. After a bone graft is performed, you will have the adequate amount of bone to preserve your jaw and qualify you for dental implants.How Is Bone Grafting Performed?
When you have lost bone material, we can take a graft of bone from you or a donor source and convert it into bone granules. These granules are used as a building block for your own bone to regenerate around. Dr. Kharmouche will place this bone material at the site of recession and cover it with a biocompatible “shield” to keep it in place and prevent other tissue from interfering with the regeneration process.After the bone has regenerated to a proper level, your jaw will become more balanced, restoring your facial appearance and keeping surrounding teeth right where they should be. It is at this point you should be qualified for dental implants. It is important to have implants placed as soon as you are able so that the bone doesn’t recede again.
If you have missing teeth and notice any of the above problems occurring to your appearance and bite, then you should contact a periodontist in Leesburg, VA, right away. Dr. Kharmouche is skilled at providing bone grafting treatment to restore a jaw to its natural, healthy levels.
