How Do You Fix Dental Bone Loss in Teeth?
What is Dental Bone Loss
Dental bone loss or bone resorption occurs for a variety of factors including osteoporosis, tooth loss, losing a tooth, periodontal disease, trauma, or not having enough calcium or vitamin D in one’s diet. Over time, reduction of blood flow or other stimuli through affected areas can create or worsen bone loss. Luckily, dentists have many tools at their disposal to fix or reverse this process.
How to Reverse Dental Bone Loss
While bone loss is a natural aspect of aging, it is possible to slow down or even reverse. Preventative measures to prevent disease and trauma go a long way to making sure you do not suffer premature bone loss.
Maintaining Proper Oral Hygiene
The first step in maintaining a healthy mouth is practicing good daily oral hygiene. Brushing and flossing regularly and comprehensively will slow down or prevent gum disease. As gingivitis and periodontitis are a leading cause of bone loss, preventing plaque taking hold in the gums is essential to slowing down bone loss.
Eradicating Gingivitis
If you already have gingivitis, your dentist can help to prevent it from advancing to periodontitis. Regular cleanings may not be enough to get rid of deep-seated plaque. If plaque and tartar have caused infection to the supporting tissues, more advanced cleanings such as scaling or root plating will be necessary. In these procedures your dentist will clean the root surfaces with special dental tools and polish the affected areas to prevent bacteria from coming back.
Replace Missing Teeth
The bone and gum structure around lost or missing teeth is the most likely place for bone loss to occur. Whether resulting from poor tooth care or trauma, getting tooth replacements as soon as possible will help you to maintain your dental bones. In cases where bone has already deteriorated, dental implants can replace the lost bone. A titanium rod is placed below the gum line and can fool the body into stimulating the area. When this occurs, bone cells will regenerate in the jaw and rebuild the bone.
Bone Graft
In serious cases where bone loss is severe, a procedure called bone grafting may be necessary. In this procedure, a dental surgeon replaces bone in the jaw to regenerate new bone cells. When the jawbone is healthy, tooth replacement becomes possible again. Bone grafting procedures are usually down in conjunction with titanium dental implants in patients with severe periodontitis or other medical conditions.
Keeping a Healthy Lifestyle
Dental bone loss occurs in all people but happens sooner or more severely for patients due to a number of factors. Genetics, age, and hormonal change all play a major role in susceptibility to bone loss. While these factors are outside of a patient’s control, other healthier choices can be made to help slow the conditions that lead to dental bone loss. For smokers, gum disease is a major risk. In order to prevent the conditions that lead to bone loss, quitting smoking is imperative. Finally, eating a balanced diet rich in vitamins and calcium will help facilitate good oral health.