Why Someone Would Need a Pre-Prosthetic Surgery
If you’re ready for dental implants, an oral surgeon in Melbourne, FL, can help. Dental implants not only look more natural than dentures but give you a more natural feel when you chew or speak. Not every patient may be able to receive dental implants, though. Fortunately for some, a pre-prosthetic surgery is enough for the patient to qualify.
Bone Graft
A bone graft is a common pre-prosthetic surgery performed by a dental surgeon in Melbourne since gum disease deteriorates the jaw bone and can lead to a person losing his or her teeth.
With bone grafting, the dental surgeon may use bone from another location on your body. In some cases, the surgeon may use bone from a donor bank. On the other hand, your oral surgeon may recommend an artificial bone that consists of materials meant to function like your jaw bone.
The purpose of the bone graft is to replace any lost, damaged, or severely diseased jaw bone to create a solid foundation for your dental implants. Without a sturdy base, your dental implants are more likely to fail.
Additionally, when you have a bone graft, it restores the shape of your face if jaw bone loss affects your appearance.
Alveoloplasty
In some cases, your oral surgeon may recommend you undergo alveoloplasty before your dental implant procedure. This surgery is to reshape your jaw. It’s not nearly as common as a bone graft but is necessary for individuals who have excess or rough bone.
Through alveoloplasty, the oral surgeon smooths your jaw bone. When it comes time to place the implant or implants, they’ll fit more snugly as a result.
Gum Contouring or Gum Graft
You may have more gum tissue than necessary. This gets in the way of the dental surgeon applying the dental implants and waiting for them to heal. On the other hand, if you have diseased tissue, a dentist may take time to correct these issues before your prosthetic surgery.
During gum contouring, your dentist will reshape the gum tissue. For instance, if you have extra, your dentist will remove the tissue and reshape it. If you have diseased gum tissue, the dentist will remove the diseased portion and reshape the remaining portion of your gums.
In some cases, you may need a gum graft to replace any missing or severely damaged portions of your gum.
Scaling and Planing
Scaling and planing isn’t a surgical procedure. It’s a dental procedure that thoroughly cleans underneath your gum line to help the gums reattach to the teeth.
Scaling, specifically, is a procedure that a dentist uses to remove plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line. For this procedure, your dentist will either use a supersonic tool, scaler, or curette.
Planing consists of the dentist smoothing the freshly cleaned area above and below the gum line. The dentist will scale to the tooth root so that the gums may adhere to the teeth.
This will ultimately help during the healing process after your dental implants because the excessive bacteria won’t interfere with your gums connecting to the implants.
Remove Teeth
If you have damaged teeth or ones that are overly crowded, your dentist may recommend tooth removal before you can have dental implants. Typically, your dentist will recommend an extraction for each tooth that’s either extra or not salvageable. This procedure isn’t surgical. It consists of a dentist using a specialized device known as an elevator that loosens the tooth.
In some cases, though, a dentist may need to surgically remove a tooth, such as if it’s impacted.
Although it’s possible to place a dental implant in the same location on the same day as the extraction if you have healthy gum tissue, this isn’t always feasible. Your oral surgeon in Melbourne may recommend you let your gums heal for up to three months before getting your dental implant surgery after an extraction.
When you go about getting dental implants in Melbourne, sometimes there’s more entailed in the process than just getting the implants themselves. You could need more bone or gum tissue, just two examples of why a pre-prosthetic surgery might be needed for dental implants. No matter the case, your treatment plan is always customized to your specific situation, so you receive the best results.
Contact Sedaros Oral Facial Surgery and Dental Implants
Book an appointment with Dr. Sedaros, serving Melbourne, FL and the nearby region, to discuss a pre-prosthetic surgery if you need dental implants. Contact us here or give us a call at 321.610.7868.