Park Ridge Implant Dentists Discuss Your Jawbone’s Integrity

Brushing and flossing your teeth every day is a well-known and wide-spread practice, as most people realize the importance of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. However, what steps do you take to protect the strength of your jawbone—the foundation of your smile? Park Ridge implant dentists, Dr. Maria and Dr. Thanasi Loukas, explain the importance of your jawbone’s health and integrity, and describe a couple of the afflictions that can threaten it.

Tooth Loss and Jawbone Deterioration

Your jawbone can suffer from a number of reasons, one of the most common being gum disease. After attacking and destroying your gum tissue, gum disease can advance underneath your gums and erode your jawbone’s structure. In time, your jawbone can become too weak to support your teeth, and tooth loss is sure to follow. Consequently, the loss of teeth can also exacerbate the destruction of your smile’s foundation.

Healthy tooth roots, which are embedded in your jawbone, help maintain a healthy supply of nutrients to your jaw when they’re stimulated by biting and chewing. When you lose one or more roots, the stimulation ceases and the nutrient supply diminishes, causing a deficiency that can eventually lead to jawbone deterioration and facial collapse.

A Strong Foundation for Your Smile

If your jawbone is significantly weakened, you may not be immediately eligible for dental implant tooth replacements. As prosthetic tooth roots, dental implants are surgically inserted into your jawbone, which fuses to the implant’s titanium surface. For successful osseointegration, there must be adequate healthy, strong jawbone left to support the implant. Otherwise, you may have to opt for traditional replacement teeth, or undergo a jawbone strengthening procedure, such as a jawbone graft, to reinforce your smile’s foundation.

Learn More About Total Smile Care with Your Park Ridge Implant Dentists

To learn more about the importance of your jawbone’s integrity, or to find out if you’re a candidate for dental implants, schedule an appointment with your Park Ridge implant dentists by calling Loukas General Dentistry at (847) 696-1919. Located in the 60068 area, we proudly serve patients from Park Ridge and the surrounding Chicago communities.