One of the most common concerns we hear from people considering dental implants is that they have been told, or simply assume, they don’t have enough bone.
In reality, lower bone levels don’t necessarily rule out implant treatment. We can tailor the size and position of an implant to the bone available and, where additional support is needed, bone grafting can often be carried out as part of the implant procedure.
For many patients, it is far less involved than the words “bone graft” might suggest.
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A dental implant needs a stable foundation of bone around it. However, bone can reduce after a tooth has been lost, and some people naturally have less bone available in certain areas of the mouth.
This is why assessing your individual bone levels is important before deciding what is possible.
3D imaging allows us to see the height, width and shape of the available bone and plan the implant accordingly, rather than making assumptions based simply on how long a tooth has been missing.
The term “bone graft” can make the procedure sound more invasive than it necessarily is.
In many implant cases, grafting involves placing a small amount of bone substitute material around the implant. Junaid describes it simply as packing a little calcium-based material around the implant to encourage good healing and help preserve or build the bone around it.
Importantly, this can often be done at the same appointment as implant placement, rather than requiring a completely separate procedure.
The amount of grafting required varies from person to person, and we’ll explain exactly what is appropriate in your case before treatment.
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Bone grafting is particularly relevant when a tooth needs to be removed, and an implant can be placed immediately into the same area.
Rather than extracting the tooth, leaving a gap and returning later to place an implant, an immediate implant can sometimes be placed at the extraction appointment. Bone grafting around the implant can then help support healing and preserve the bone in the area.
For someone with a broken or failing tooth that seems beyond saving, this can mean moving directly from extraction into the first stage of replacing the tooth rather than automatically facing a period with an untreated gap.
Having less bone doesn’t automatically mean embarking on extensive grafting before implants are possible.
We look at the bone available, the position of the tooth or teeth being replaced and the result we’re trying to achieve. Implant dimensions can be selected accordingly, while different grafting approaches can be considered where additional support is needed.
Where possible, implants are carefully positioned to make use of the strongest remaining bone and reduce the need for grafting; in selected cases, pterygoid implants can use the stronger bone further back in the jaw for support.
The aim isn’t to perform more treatment than necessary. It’s to create the stable foundation the implant needs while keeping the approach appropriate to your individual mouth.
Where an implant goes shouldn’t be decided by bone alone.
At Broad Street, we use pre-treatment photographs to plan the tooth or smile we want to create first. Digital scanning and 3D imaging then allow us to consider the available bone and plan the implant around the finished result.
Where grafting is needed, it becomes part of that wider plan: creating the support needed to place the implant in a position that works for the replacement tooth above it.
Your assessment will establish how much bone you have and whether grafting is necessary at all.
Where only additional support around an implant is required, the graft may be placed during the implant procedure itself. More significant bone loss may require a different approach, which we’ll discuss with you after assessing the area.
Either way, you won’t be given a generic treatment plan simply because your bone levels are lower. The implant, grafting and finished replacement teeth are planned together around what your mouth actually needs.
If you’ve been told you don’t have enough bone for implants, or you’re worried that having missing teeth for a long time means you’ve left it too late, come and let us assess it properly.
Your £79 implant consultation allows us to look at the teeth, gums and available bone and explain what implant treatment may be possible in your particular case.
Implant consultation: £79
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No. Whether grafting is required depends on the bone available and the implant being planned. In some cases, no graft is needed; in others, graft material can be placed at the same time as the implant.
Not always. Junaid routinely uses bone grafting alongside implant placement where appropriate, particularly with immediate implants. More extensive bone loss may require a different approach.
In suitable cases, yes. An immediate implant can be placed at the time of extraction, with grafting used where appropriate to support healing and preserve bone around the implant.
Potentially. Lower bone levels don’t automatically rule out dental implants. We can assess the bone available using 3D imaging and consider implant size and position alongside the appropriate type of grafting where required.
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Claire
Ann CQ
Dilara E.
Corn P.
Adam P.
John B.
Tracie P.
Les R.
Charlie E.
Simon G.
Erika K.
Alex M.
Laura S.
Irine J.
Indre S.
Claire
Ann CQ
Dilara E.
Corn P.
Adam P.
John B.
Tracie P.
Les R.
Charlie E.
Simon G.
Erika K.
Alex M.
Laura S.
Irine J.
Indre S.
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