Hi, it's Mia Armonde here to talk to you about family dentistry. As my small family grew into a large one, I found myself at the dental office on a regular basis. Every six months, the kids would go into the dentist for a cleaning or repairs to their teeth. During that time, I took an interest in the various ways the dental tools were evolving. Tools used in the dental industry have grown in leaps and bounds in the last few decades. For example, my kids went from hearing the dental drill to wearing headphones that completely canceled out the sound. Each time we go back into the dentist, I take a close look at the improvements that have arisen since the last visit. The results are astounding. I will cover my findings on this site, so you can also enjoy the improvements to dental tools and techniques.
For missing teeth, dental implants have many advantages over more traditional bridgework. Fixed within the jawbone, implants are incredibly secure. And unlike bridgework, they don't require the grinding down of adjacent teeth for use as anchors. Good dental implants are virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth.
But what if you suffer from osteoporosis? Dental implants require sufficiently thick, dense bone within the jaw so that the posts can be seated securely. If your bones are losing density due to osteoporosis, however, you may not have sufficient bone mass.
Luckily, whether your osteoporosis has already progressed to this point or not, you should know that this doesn't rule out dental implants.
Slowing Bone Loss
If your bone density is still high enough to get implants, then your main concern will be to make sure it stays that way. To this end, there are a few things you can do. A diet high in calcium and vitamin D is recommended to promote bone health, and bad habits like smoking or excessive drinking should be stopped as soon as possible.
People with osteoporosis are sometimes nervous about exercising; as your bones become weaker, falls and injuries can become more severe. However, exercise is also an important way of encouraging new bone growth and slowing osteoporosis. To balance these facts, look for low-impact exercises with lower risks of injury. Weightlifting, walking and swimming are all good choices; while bicycling is often found on lists of low-impact exercises, it does carry a higher risk of falling injuries.
Reversing Bone Loss
If your jawbone is not dense enough for implants, that still doesn't rule them out. It just adds an extra step to the process: getting a bone graft. When this bony material is implanted into the jaw, your body absorbs it and turns it into part of your own jawbone. Unlike transplants, there is no danger of rejection or need for immunosuppressant drugs. If the donor material isn't absorbed, you simply remove it and try again.
Benefits Of Implants For People With Osteoporosis
If your jaw has reached the point where a bone graft is necessary before getting dental implants, you might be tempted to settle for bridgework after all. While it does have disadvantages, it can seem like a much simpler procedure. But in fact, if you suffer from bone loss, that fact alone is a good reason to get implants instead of bridgework.
Your jawbone receives signals from your teeth; think of how you can feel it through your jaw when you bite down or clench your teeth. In response to these signals, your jawbone works to regenerate its bone mass more quickly.
Areas with missing teeth, on the other hand, receive no such signals. And the jawbone around a missing tooth will lose density at an accelerated rate. For this reason, getting dental implants done, and done as soon as possible, is especially important for those with osteoporosis.
Share7 August 2015
