Socket Preservation
Performed immediately after extraction, bone graft material is placed into the extraction site to prevent the rapid bone loss that normally follows tooth removal.
Learn About Socket PreservationBONE HEALTH
Jawbone Loss — A Treatable Problem
Understanding how bone loss happens and what can be done to restore it
When teeth are lost, the jawbone beneath them begins to deteriorate. This is not a rare complication — it is a predictable biological process. Understanding this process matters because it affects not only your appearance but also your treatment options.
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WHY IT HAPPENS
The Biology of Bone Resorption
The jawbone is living tissue that constantly remodels in response to the forces applied to it. Tooth roots transmit biting and chewing forces into the bone, stimulating it to maintain its volume and density. When a tooth is removed — or lost to decay, trauma, or gum disease — that stimulation stops. The bone in the area begins to resorb within weeks, and the process accelerates over time.
Long-term denture wear compounds the problem. Conventional dentures rest on the gum tissue, not on the bone. They do not provide the root-level stimulation the bone needs to maintain itself. Over years of denture wear, significant bone volume can be lost — leading to a ridge that is too thin or too short to support implants without grafting.
Learn About Bone GraftingCAUSES
What Causes Jawbone Loss
Missing Teeth
When a tooth is removed and not replaced, the bone below it begins to resorb (dissolve) within months because it no longer receives stimulation from the tooth root.
The bone loss continues progressively over time if the tooth remains unreplaced. By five years, as much as 25% of bone width can be lost.
This bone loss affects facial structure, creating a 'collapsed' appearance, and makes future implant placement more difficult.
Early replacement of missing teeth preserves bone and prevents these complications.
Denture Wear
Traditional dentures rest on gum tissue and bone. Over time, this tissue resorbs, and dentures become loose.
Loose dentures shift during eating and speaking, affecting function and confidence. Relines provide temporary improvement.
The fundamental problem—continuing bone loss—cannot be stopped with dentures alone.
Implant-supported dentures or complete implant restoration prevents further bone loss and provides stable, functional teeth.
Periodontal Disease
Severe gum disease destroys the bone supporting teeth. Untreated periodontitis causes progressive bone loss, eventually leading to tooth loss.
Early treatment of gum disease can halt progression, but lost bone is difficult to regenerate.
At Vitality, we catch gum disease early through regular monitoring and aggressive treatment to prevent bone loss.
Once bone is severely compromised, replacement with implants becomes necessary.
Tooth Extraction
Extraction without replacement is the most common cause of bone loss. Even if the tooth is eventually replaced, some bone has already been lost.
The bone loss is most rapid in the first year after extraction, then slows but continues indefinitely.
Prompt replacement of extracted teeth—ideally with dental implants—preserves bone and maintains facial structure.
If extraction is unavoidable, immediate or early implant placement preserves the most bone.
As bone volume decreases, the facial structure changes: the lower third of the face shortens, the chin rotates forward, the lips thin and lose support, and the cheeks begin to hollow. This visible aging of the face is sometimes described as facial collapse — a direct result of bone loss in the jaw.
This change in facial proportions can make you appear years older than you actually are. The good news is that bone loss is treatable. Bone grafting and sinus lift procedures restore jaw volume, not only enabling dental implants but also restoring the facial contours that define a youthful appearance.
Explore Bone Grafting →Solutions for Bone Loss
Rebuilding the jaw to enable implants and restore appearance
Key Details
Minimises future bone loss
Sinus Lift
For upper jaw implants where the bone beneath the maxillary sinus has resorbed, bone is added beneath the sinus membrane to create height needed for implant placement.
About Sinus Lifts
Key Details
Restores upper jaw height
Ridge Augmentation
When a ridge has collapsed (too narrow or too short), bone grafting restores the width or height needed for implant placement or to improve facial contours.
Explore Options
Key Details
Rebuilds collapsed ridge
Advanced Grafting Materials
Vitality uses allograft, xenograft, and autogenous bone depending on the clinical situation. Dr. Tocchio selects the material that will provide optimal outcomes for your specific case.
Learn About Materials
Key Details
Multiple graft options available
Key Facts About Bone Loss
Bone loss begins within weeks of tooth loss and accelerates over time
Even small bone deficiencies can affect implant placement and aesthetics
Bone grafting is highly successful and predictable with proper technique
Implants provide bone stimulation and prevent future loss
COMMON QUESTIONS
About Bone Loss & Grafting
What you need to know
The rate and amount of resorption vary, but significant bone loss can occur in the first 6-12 months. The longer a tooth is missing, the greater the potential loss.
Yes, through bone grafting. Graft material acts as a scaffold for your body's own bone cells to grow and regenerate. Success rates are high with modern materials and techniques.
In most cases, yes. If bone volume is insufficient, grafting procedures can restore the height and width needed for implant placement. This may add time to treatment but enables successful implant results.
The grafting procedure itself takes 1-2 hours depending on the extent of grafting. The bone then requires 4-6 months to mature before implants can be placed.