Is it possible to place dental implants when there is little bone?
At the clinic, we receive patients every day who are dissatisfied with their smile for various reasons.
Currently, there are numerous treatments aimed at preserving teeth. However, in some cases, tooth loss is inevitable, and the solution involves the placement of dental implants.
Although they are no longer a novelty, many doubts still arise about dental implants, particularly regarding whether they are suitable for all edentulous patients. And the truth is that, despite all their benefits, the placement of dental implants requires evaluation of several parameters, and not all patients meet the ideal conditions for this treatment. Therefore, there are situations where the placement of dental implants is not recommended or even feasible.
As with all medical procedures, there are favorable and unfavorable conditions, and dental implants are no exception. Thus, a proper evaluation and diagnosis are required, which allow for adequate planning to avoid complications, such as the failure of the dental implant to integrate into the bone.
The success of dental implant treatment is therefore closely related to various factors – daily oral hygiene care, maintenance, type of dental implant, pre-existing conditions, post-operative care, among others.
Lack of bone is one of these factors and affects thousands of individuals. However, today, there are several alternatives and solutions, and as such, this problem is no longer an obstacle for the placement of dental implants.
But what actually causes permanent bone loss?
A perda dentária está sempre associada a alterações volumétricas na maxila e na mandíbula, ou seja, após a perda de um dente ocorre um processo de reabsorção/remodelação óssea que se traduz numa diminuição gradual do volume ósseo.
The lack of bone comes from a progressive phenomenon, so the severity of bone loss is directly influenced by the time and size of the tooth loss. However, there are other factors that can accelerate and/or interfere with this process, such as the prolonged and continued use of removable dentures, which can cause bone resorption, tobacco use, tumors, trauma, accidents, among others.
This is because the principle behind bone loss is related to the need for stimulus transmission, meaning that without stimulation or function, atrophy occurs, and as a result, the bone gradually regresses. In the long term, this situation can lead to, for example, the collapse of the supporting tissues of the lips, characteristic of premature aging of the smile.
But then, what happens when the patient has little bone in the edentulous area?
Bone loss does not have to be a problem! Currently, there are several solutions, so in these situations we must consider the various possibilities and treatment alternatives.
As mentioned before, without bone, the placement of implants is compromised, so it is necessary to compensate for the lost bone to create the necessary conditions. This can be done through grafts whose main goal is to offer better support to the implant.
Bone grafts are not all the same; they can be autogenous, meaning from the individual’s own body, or synthetic. The latter are usually of bovine or porcine origin. Although grafts extend the treatment time and may require more interventions in severe cases, they lead to a better result.
There are implants of different lengths and diameters – for low bones, there are short implants, for example, and thinner ones for narrow bone – as well as individualized dental implants based on the existing bone anatomy.
When the desirable area for implant placement shows severe atrophy, another possibility for utilizing the existing bone space may involve the application of angulation during implant placement or performing a sinus lift – a surgical procedure aimed at increasing bone mass in the maxilla in the area of the posterior teeth.
Another treatment option is overdentures or overdentures which are partial removable dentures or full dentures that rely on one or more remaining teeth, roots, and/or dental implants. This system allows for various movements, minimizing the loads/forces on the implants, which may mean the need for fewer dental implants.
If you would like to get dental implants, as you know, visit your Dentist and clarify all your doubts to improve your quality of life.
