Your jaw holds your teeth in place. But it can start to deteriorate if one or more teeth are lost. Although it won’t grow back naturally, oral surgeons can help restore your jaw through a process known as bone grafting. If your dentist says you’re a candidate for bone grafting, here are a few ways the innovative oral surgery will benefit you.

Why You Should Consider Bone Grafting

1. Restore Jaw Function  

During this oral surgery, a specialist takes a fragment of existing bone and positions it in the open area of the jaw. This new material will then allow your cells to rebuild tissue around the bone and secure it to the rest of the jaw.

If successful, the procedure should allow you to enjoy a restored jaw within a few months. This will help you avoid a variety of functional problems that are associated with bone loss–such as impaired speaking, chewing, and biting.

2. Avoid an Aged Appearance  

When you don’t have an adequate amount of jaw bone, your face will lose the support it needs to maintain a youthful, balanced structure. Specifically, as the material deteriorates you may find your mouth and cheeks cave inward, resulting in a sunken, wrinkled appearance. With a bone graft, you can maintain a full cosmetic appearance and avoid looking older than you actually are.

3. Become a Candidate for Dental Implants

If you lose one or more teeth, dental implants are an incredible way to permanently restore the look and function of your smile. However, strong jaw bone tissue is needed to hold these implants in place. If you do not have a healthy jaw, bone grafting will make you a viable candidate for dental implants. Otherwise, you may have to opt for dentures in order to replace missing teeth.

If you want to enjoy all the benefits that bone grafting has to offer, it’s critical to find a specialist that can perform the procedure with confidence. As a patient of Oral Surgery Associates of Alaska, you can rest assured knowing your jaw restoration is being handled by experienced professionals. Backed with extensive training and advanced equipment, these oral surgeons will carefully identify and resolve bone loss in the most comfortable manner possible. Once your jaw has healed, they will complete your smile makeover with state-of-the-art dental implants. To learn more about their capabilities, visit this Anchorage oral surgery clinic online. For questions or appointments, call (907) 561-1430.