At Oakwood Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, one of the areas we specialize in is dental implants. Dental Implants can be used for a variety of reasons. Many use dental implants as a solution to replace missing teeth, Dental Implants can also be used to retain or hold dentures into place, rather than using gels and pastes. To learn more about our dental implant services, call Oakwood Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery today.
Types of Dental Implants
Depending on your jaw health and what procedures can be done to help rebuild your jaw, you may choose between endosteal and subperiosteal implants. Endosteal implants go directly into your jaw while subperiosteal are under the gun and above the jawbone.
Endosteal
If you have healthy jawbone, endosteal implants are what we would recommend. These are the types of implants you see in the x-rays above. They look like little screws that get threaded into your jawbone.
Subperiosteal
If your jawbone isn’t healthy enough to support endosteal implants and you cannot have reconstructive surgery on your jawbone, you would get subperiosteal implants. This would also be the case if you have had trauma that caused severe damage to your jawbone. When you get subperiosteal implants, the implant is placed between your gun and your jaw.
Rebuilding Your Jaw
Just because you have damage to your jaw due to disease or trauma doesn’t mean it cannot be repaired. There are some circumstances where a reasonable repair can’t be done, but those cases are few. Below are some of the options for creating a sturdy foundation for your implants.
Bone Augmentation
Bone augmentation generally involves additives and growth factors to help your jawbone regrow.
Sinus Lift
If you have had deterioration of your jawbone below the sinuses due to missing upper back teeth, we can perform a sinus lift. This procedure adds bone to your upper jaw in the area of your moalrs and premolars.
Ridge Expansion
The ridge bone is the supporting structure for your teeth. Several factors can cause deterioration of this portion of bone. If this happens, you may have to have a ridge expansion done to facilitate the implants.