Is Dental Bone Loss Serious?
Having good teeth is not only a sign of health, but also of youth and aesthetic well-being. As a result, everything related to lack of it becomes a problem to be addressed.
Losing one's teeth is both a physical and psychological trauma, so much so that it is no coincidence that it is also a very present image in our unconscious and consequently in our dreams. Having good teeth is not only a sign of health, but also of youth and aesthetic well-being. As a result, everything related to lack of it becomes a problem to be addressed.
Among these, there is maxillary bone atrophy, due precisely to the loss, traumatic or physiological, of the teeth and consequently of the alveolar bone that should keep them in their respective arches. In fact, following the loss of the teeth, the reabsorption of all the supporting tissues where the teeth themselves reside occurs and the consequent atrophy. This occurs both for the lack of a single tooth up to the most severe forms when the patient becomes totally edentulous.
This condition therefore leads to an almost total paralysis of the jawbone: its blockage causes serious consequences on the alimentary, functional and obviously aesthetic level.
Dental bone regeneration techniques
There are two techniques currently available with different characteristic advantages and disadvantages: autotransplantation and artificial regeneration. The autotransplant involves the extraction of a piece of bone of the appropriate size starting from another part of the body, often the hip, and re-insertion into the empty area. Artificial regeneration, on the other hand, consists in filling a titanium grid suitably positioned in the empty area with synthetic material.
In both cases, the patient's closest bone tends to merge with the grafted part and envelop it completely, integrating it. The use of a hip fragment has the advantage of better integration, given the autologous origin. Artificial bone, on the other hand, brings less blood flow, being devoid of vessels, but the operation is far simpler and faster. Then there is the possibility of using the bones of other people, heterologous, and even animals as in the case of the deproteinized bovine.
Limits of the reconstruction
The immediate outcome of the intervention is generally positive and in the first years there are no problems of any kind. Unfortunately, the final outcome remains very uncertain due to the possible resorption of the regenerated bone. In fact, it happens after many years that the degradation process attacks the new or synthetic portion and leads to the starting condition, without naturally affecting the non-regenerated bones. In this case the greatest risk is the fall of the implants. As for the severity of reconstruction cases, there are no obvious limits and it is possible to reconstruct very large portions of missing bone. The operation takes place with the risks of a simple bone surgery under anesthesia, almost zero. However, its duration can be up to 8 hours if an autograft is chosen.
Essentially, bones loss is a serious condition, and what is the root cause of the bone loss could also be serious. It is important to maintain good oral hygiene and see your dentist regularly to help prevent bone loss.