Jaw Bone Loss Treatment in Marylebone, London
Jawbone is maintained by being loaded through tooth roots, so it starts to disappear as soon as the teeth do. It is the reason some people are told they have too little bone for implants, and it is often reversible.
- CBCT scan on site
- GDC-registered dentists
- Written plan before you commit
Peri-implantitis and failing implants
Bone can also be lost around an implant that is already in place. The usual cause is peri-implantitis, an inflammation of the gum and bone around the implant driven by plaque and made more likely by smoking, gum disease and missed reviews. It is often painless until it is advanced.
The peri-implantitis and failing implants page covers the signs, what treatment involves and when an implant is removed and replaced.
What you're seeing
Bone loss in the jaw after tooth loss
The alveolar bone exists for one purpose: to hold tooth roots. Chewing sends force through the root into the bone, and the bone maintains its density and shape in response. Remove the root and the stimulus stops, so the body resorbs bone it no longer has a use for. The change is fastest in the first year after an extraction and continues slowly for decades afterwards.
Width goes before height, which is why a gap can look perfectly normal from the outside while being far too narrow for an implant. In the upper back jaw there is a second mechanism: the maxillary sinus tends to expand downwards into the space left by missing teeth, reducing the bone height available from above as well as below. Advanced gum disease destroys the same bone while the teeth are still present, which is why people who lose teeth to periodontitis often start from a worse position.
Being told there is not enough bone is frequently a statement about a particular plan rather than about implants in general. Bone can be rebuilt with grafting, a sinus lift can restore height at the back of the upper jaw, and angled implants used in full arch treatment often reach usable bone without any grafting at all. What settles it is a three-dimensional scan, which measures in millimetres what a flat X-ray can only hint at.
Why it happens
What causes jaw bone loss
- Missing teeth, because the bone is no longer loaded through a tooth root
- Advanced periodontitis, which destroys the supporting bone around teeth that are still present
- Long-term denture wearing, where the denture presses on the ridge without loading it
- Downward expansion of the maxillary sinus after upper back teeth are lost
- Infection or abscess at the time of extraction, which destroys additional bone
- Facial trauma or previous surgery affecting the jaw
Treatment approach
How is jaw bone loss treated in Marylebone?
Bone Grafting
On enquiryThe direct treatment. Ridge preservation, guided bone regeneration and sinus lift each rebuild bone in a different situation, so an implant can be placed where the finished tooth needs it.
See treatment detail →Implant Consultation
On enquiryA CBCT scan is the only way to measure what bone is actually there. It also distinguishes a jaw that genuinely needs grafting from one where a different implant position solves the problem.
See treatment detail →Full Arch Implants
On enquiryAngling the back implants reaches denser bone forward of the sinus or the nerve canal, which is why full arch treatment often avoids grafting in jaws that would otherwise need it.
See treatment detail →Implant Retained Dentures
On enquiryWhere the ridge is too resorbed for a denture to grip, a small number of implants restores retention, and a denture flange can also replace the lost gum contour and lip support.
See treatment detail →FAQ
Jaw bone loss questions,
answered
I was told I do not have enough bone for implants. Is that final?
Often not. It usually means there is not enough bone for one particular plan. Grafting rebuilds volume, a sinus lift restores height in the upper back jaw, and angled implants reach bone that straight ones miss. A second opinion with a CBCT scan is worth having before accepting it.
How quickly do you lose jaw bone after a tooth is removed?
Fastest in the first year, then slowly and continuously. Width is lost before height, which is why an old gap can look normal from outside and still be too narrow for an implant. Placing graft material into the socket at extraction slows this considerably.
Can jaw bone grow back on its own?
Not once it has resorbed. The body removes bone it is no longer using and does not rebuild it without help. That is why grafting exists: it provides a scaffold that your own bone grows into. Preventing the loss at extraction is easier than reversing it later.
Do dentures cause jaw bone loss?
Dentures do not cause it, but they do not prevent it either. The loss comes from the roots being gone, and a denture resting on the ridge transmits pressure without the loading a root provided. This is why long-term denture wearers often have the most resorbed ridges.
Is a second opinion on bone loss worth having?
Frequently, because the first answer was about one plan rather than about your jaw. A CBCT scan measures the height and width you actually have, and angled implants, a sinus lift or a graft each open up bone a straight implant would miss. Marylebone Dental Implants scans on site before saying anything about what is possible.
Related Concerns
Get Started
Request a dental implant assessment in Marylebone,
and UNTIL Health Concierge arranges it at Orchard Street.
Marylebone Dental Implants • UNTIL, 1 Orchard Street, London W1H 6HJ
Request an assessmentThe UNTIL Health Concierge team says it will be in touch within 24 hours of your enquiry.