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Posts for tag: bone grafting

By James E. Eash, D.D.S.
April 25, 2019
Category: Dental Procedures
CharlizeTheronBackinActionAfterDentalSurgery

When they’re introducing a new movie, actors often take a moment to pay tribute to the people who helped make it happen — like, you know, their dentists. At least that’s what Charlize Theron did at the premiere of her new spy thriller, Atomic Blonde.

"I just want to take a quick moment to thank my dentists," she told a Los Angeles audience as they waited for the film to roll. "I don’t even know if they’re here, but I just want to say thank you."

Why did the starring actress/producer give a shout-out to her dental team? It seems she trained and fought so hard in the action sequences that she actually cracked two teeth!

“I had severe tooth pain, which I never had in my entire life,” Theron told an interviewer from Variety. At first, she thought it was a cavity — but later, she found out it was more serious: One tooth needed a root canal, and the other had to be extracted and replaced with a dental implant — but first, a bone grafting procedure was needed. “I had to put a donor bone in [the jaw] to heal,” she noted, “and then I had another surgery to put a metal screw in there.”

Although it might sound like the kind of treatment only an action hero would need, bone grafting is now a routine part of many dental implant procedures. The reason is that without a sufficient volume of good-quality bone, implant placement is difficult or impossible. That’s because the screw-like implant must be firmly joined with the jawbone, so it can support the replacement tooth.

Fortunately, dentists have a way to help your body build new bone: A relatively small amount of bone material can be placed in the missing tooth’s socket in a procedure called bone grafting. This may come from your own body or, more likely, it may be processed bone material from a laboratory. The donor material can be from a human, animal or synthetic source, but because of stringent processing techniques, the material is safe for human use. Once it is put in place your body takes over, using the grafted material as a scaffold on which to build new bone cells. If jawbone volume is insufficient for implants, it can often be restored to a viable point in a few months.

Better yet, when grafting material is placed in the tooth socket immediately after extraction, it can keep most of the bone loss from occurring in the first place, enabling an implant to be placed as soon as possible — even before the end of a movie’s shooting schedule.

Will Atomic Blonde prove to be an action-movie classic? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: When Charlize Theron walks down the red carpet, she won’t have to worry about a gap in her smile.

If you have questions about bone grafting or dental implants, please contact our office or schedule a consultation. You can read more in the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Dental Implant Surgery” and “Immediate Dental Implant.”

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By James E. Eash, D.D.S.
September 07, 2018
Category: Dental Procedures
Tags: bone grafting  
WecanBuildupLostBoneBeforeYourImplant

The “magic” behind a dental implant’s durability is the special affinity its imbedded titanium post has with bone. Over time bone grows and attaches to the titanium surface to produce a strong and secure hold.

But there’s one important prerequisite for ultimate implant success—there must be an adequate amount of bone available initially to properly position the post during implantation. Otherwise, the implant may not have enough support to position it properly or cover the implant surface completely with bone.

Inadequate bone can be a problem for patients who lost teeth some time before and now desire to an implant restoration. This happens because when teeth are missing, so are the forces they generate during chewing. These forces stimulate new bone growth around the tooth root to replace older, dissolved bone at a healthy rate. If that replacement rate is too slow, the volume and density of bone may gradually diminish.

There is a way, though, to build up the bone for future implantation. Known as bone preservation procedure or a ridge augmentation, it’s a surgical procedure in which the dentist adds bone grafting material to the extraction socket or the bony ridge. The graft serves as a scaffold for new bone cells to grow and multiply. If successful, there will be enough new bone volume after several months of healing to support proper implant placement.

Bone grafting can add more time to the implant process. It may also mean you will not be able to undergo immediate crown placement after implantation (a “tooth in one day” procedure). Instead we would probably suture gum tissue over the implant to protect it and allow for full integration with the bone over a few more months. In the meantime, though, we could fit you with a temporary restoration like a removable partial denture (RPD) or a bonded bridge to improve the appearance of the space while the bone continues to heal.

After several months, your implant will have a better chance of a secure hold and we can then attach a life-like crown. Even if you’ve suffered bone loss, you’ll then have the benefit of not only a durable implant but also a new smile.

If you would like more information on dental implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

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By James E. Eash, D.D.S.
April 16, 2017
Category: Dental Procedures
ASolutionforRestoringAdequateBoneforDentalImplants

Dental implants are considered the best tooth replacement option available. An implant replaces the root of a tooth and allows for the replacement of the crown via attachments or abutments. They not only look like a real tooth, they function like one too.

Implants, though, for some are a significant investment and may be well beyond a person's financial means if they've experienced a sudden tooth loss. For that reason, many opt for a less expensive tooth replacement option like a removable partial denture.

Later when they can afford it, a person might consider an implant. But this could pose a complication. When a tooth is missing for some time, the underlying bone doesn't rejuvenate normally because it no longer receives stimulation from the tooth. Over time, the amount of bone may diminish. Restorations like dentures can't stop this bone loss and actually aggravates it.

For proper positioning, an implant requires a certain amount of bone volume. So, it's quite possible when the time comes to replace the old restoration with an implant that there may not be enough bone available.

We may be able to overcome this bone loss with bone grafting and regeneration. A specialist such as a periodontist or oral surgeon accesses the area surgically and inserts bone graft material, usually processed material that's completely safe. Properly placed, the bone graft serves as a scaffold that, along with growth stimulators, encourages bone cells to grow.

When the bone grafting has healed enough, we're then able to place the implant. Once imbedded in the bone, one of the implant's unique qualities comes into play. The imbedded post is made of the metal titanium, which is not only bio-compatible with body tissues, it also has an affinity with bone. Bone cells will easily grow and adhere to the implant surface. This further boosts bone growth in the area and strengthens the implant's hold.

These extra procedures to build back lost bone do add to the cost and time for installing an implant. But if you're ready for a more permanent restoration for a missing tooth — not to mention better bone health — the extra time and money will be well worth it.

If you would like more information on dental implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

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Dentist - Boonville
911 Aigner Dr
Boonville, IN 47601
(812) 897-1410



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Dentist - Boonville, James E. Eash, D.D.S., 911 Aigner Dr, Boonville IN, 47601 (812) 897-1410