Guided Tissue Bone Regeneration
Phoenix, AZ
When you suffer from gum disease, particularly more advanced stages, your jawbone, and the supporting structures that hold your teeth in place are put at risk. Bacteria attack these areas, causing them to become weak. Eventually, your teeth become weak, and can even fall out. Moreover, when your teeth fall out, your jawbone continues to deteriorate, because it has no tooth to stimulate the bone. At Implant and Periodontal Wellness Center of Arizona, we can perform guided tissue bone regeneration to help regrow missing bone mass and supporting structures around at-risk teeth or restore bone mass for dental implants.
What Happens When You Lose Bone Mass?
As your bone mass and the supporting structures around your teeth deteriorate, your teeth become loose. Eventually, they fall out. Your teeth are essential for maintaining the integrity of your jawbone. While you chew, they stimulate the bone, which tells your body to send nutrients. Without teeth, there is no stimulation, and therefore significantly fewer nutrients. Your jawbone continues to weaken. Over time, it changes shape, which can affect the alignment of the rest of your teeth. Your bite can be thrown off, which can severely impact your oral health. Your facial shape also changes, making you appear older than you are.
Guided Tissue Bone Regeneration
Guided tissue bone regeneration (BTBR) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that is designed to encourage regrowth of the bone tissue, periodontal ligaments, and connective tissue attachments that support your teeth. To achieve this, a membrane (either resorbable or non-resorbable) is placed between your gum tissue and your jawbone, allowing for undisturbed regrowth of bone. This is often done with the assistance of bone grafting material. The membrane serves to prevent gum tissue from going in between the bone and the surface of the affected teeth.
After the membrane is placed, your gums are stitched closed over it. A non-resorbable membrane is removed after a brief healing period (usually 6 weeks), while a resorbable membrane can be left in place.
GTBR for Implants
While commonly used for regenerating bone mass and supporting structures around teeth at risk for falling out, GTBR can also be used to help regenerate bone mass after tooth loss for the placement of dental implants. Implants cannot successfully be placed without sufficient bone mass; otherwise, there is a significant risk for implant failure. GTBR can be used along with a bone graft, which takes bone mass from elsewhere in your body (or from a donor or other source), and places it in the areas of weakness. GTBR then encourages the bone to regenerate and gain back strength.
Benefits of GTBR
GTBR can help to save at-risk teeth. By regenerating bone mass, along with the supporting periodontal structures, pocket depths created by gum disease are reduced. Regular oral hygiene at home, along with periodic professional cleanings, will help to ensure that the bone stays strong and your teeth stay in place.
If you have already suffered from tooth loss, GTBR provides you with the opportunity to utilize the latest advances in tooth replacement: dental implants. Once the implants are in place, they act just like the roots of your natural teeth and can encourage the newly grown bone mass to stay strong. Moreover, with implants, you are provided with a permanent, beautiful smile that looks, and functions, just like your natural teeth.
Whether your teeth are at risk for falling out, or you are interested in implants for replacing missing teeth, guided tissue bone regeneration can restore strength to your jawbone and supporting structures. Call Implant and Periodontal Wellness Center of Arizona at (480) 504-0506 today to learn more. |
