Get Ready For Dental Implants
In order to qualify for dental implants, patients need a strong jawbone and healthy gums. But if you’ve lived with missing teeth for a long time, you’re likely to suffer from one of these issues. Thankfully, this doesn’t mean you’re not a candidate for implants.
At Central Texas Dental Care, we offer a full range of supplemental treatments to prepare you for implant placement. Explore our guide to learn about these procedures and how they can help you qualify for dental implants.
Bone Grafting
When you lose a tooth, that area of your jawbone loses its source of stimulation. As a result, the bone will begin to deteriorate and lose strength. This type of bone loss is common in patients who previously replaced missing teeth with dentures or a dental bridge.
Bone grafting can restore your lost tissue and ensure that your jaw has the strength to support implants. To perform this treatment, one of our dentists will take healthy bone tissue from a donor source and graft it to the deficient areas of your jaw. This stimulates bone growth and creates a strong foundation for implants.
Ridge Modification
For some patients who experience bone loss, the jawbone thins on the alveolar crest, making it too narrow for dental implant placement. Similar to bone grafting, ridge modification involves strengthening the deteriorated area with healthy bone tissue from a donor source.
Sinus Augmentation
If you’re missing teeth in your upper jawbone, the resulting bone loss can increase the size of your sinus cavity and interfere with implant placement. Sinus augmentation is another variation of bone grafting that adds to the existing tissue in your upper arch, helping you become a candidate for implants.
Gum Disease Treatment
To ensure that your implant procedure is successful, it’s crucial to have healthy gums. If you have any symptoms of gum disease, we’ll use the LANAP® protocol to eliminate your infection. This procedure uses a specialized laser called the PerioLase® MVP-7™ to vaporize bacteria in your gums without harming any of your healthy tissue.
Best of all, LANAP treatment is pain-free and allows you to heal quickly. Unlike traditional surgery, you won’t have to deal with stitches or bleeding. LANAP also offers more predictable results, since the laser can target bacteria with unmatched precision.
Visit Central Texas Dental Care For Implants
If you have missing teeth, dental implants are the only permanent solution for your smile. During your first visit, one of our dentists will examine your teeth, gums, and jawbone to determine if you need any supplemental treatments to get ready for implants.
Call our office in Hewitt at 254-203-7405 and schedule an initial consultation today.