Whenever a tooth is lost or extracted a considerable amount of the bone that once surrounded the remaining root portion may disappear. This loss can be particularly rapid during the first few months and is described as ‘bone resorption’. Although the rate and amount of bone resorption is highly variable between individuals, it will always occur to some extent, unless specific care is taken to reduce its effects….

This is one of the most important features of dental implants. Once in place and supporting teeth, everyday functional forces stimulate the surrounding bone which responds by becoming stronger and more dense. Like all things there are limits to how much work an implant can do….

So far we have covered the building blocks that are part of routine implant placement. This has included the initial examination and diagnosis, sedation during surgery and what to expect after the implants have been placed. However, for some people, bone loss after the removal or loss of teeth leaves them without enough to secure an implant….

Bone can be harvested from a number of sources such as the hip, tibia, chin and posterior regions of the lower jaw. When you use your own bone to create new bone in another area of the mouth you will have to contend with the discomfort created by the donor site as well as the surgical site….

For those who would prefer an easier, but slightly slower solution, there are other sources of bone specially prepared to make them safe for use in humans. All of these materials including your own bone, simply provide a scaffold into which new bone will grow and consolidate ready to receive dental implants a few months later.
…

So far we have covered the building blocks that are part of routine implant placement. This has included the initial examination and diagnosis, sedation during surgery and what to expect after the implants have been placed. However, for some people, bone loss after the removal or loss of teeth leaves them without enough to secure an implant….