For many, the idea of replacing a missing tooth comes at the same time as the decision to remove a tooth that is infected or diseased. “When a patient decides right away on an implant, it’s actually a great thing,” says Dr. Denine Rice, one of the Inland Empire’s Top Dentists as voted by her peers and patients. “When we know the direction the patient wishes to go, we can act to achieve an even better result.”
When a tooth is infected or diseased, many
times the bone is also impacted. This
may mean once the tooth is extracted a larger than normal hole will be left
behind. “There is an opportunity here,” Dr. Rice adds. “We can immediately
place artificial bone into the socket site and preserve the site for future
treatment or even place the bone and the implant at the same time. Stabilizing
remaining bone is a very important part of caring long term for patients. “When
bone is lost it can have a devastating effect on remaining teeth and also on
future treatment options. Even wearing a traditional denture can be enhanced by
the use of bone placed in a socket site.”
Since the bone is what goes unseen by
patients, often they are unaware of exactly how important it is. “The roots of
the teeth are stabilized by bone and once teeth are removed the bone gradually
erodes. This can create a challenge for adjacent teeth. You may notice a divot
or area where the bone sinks in a bit,” Dr. Rice adds. “In the past, if you’d
lost teeth a while ago, this meant you would not be a candidate for an implant.
Now though, with bone grafting, we can often times recreate the bone and
provide the implant with enough stability to give the patient a long lasting
result.”
To learn more visit us at RicePeriodontics.com
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