What is Dental Bone Loss?
Dental bone loss can occur in the mouth around the teeth and in the jaws after losing teeth or resulting from periodontal or gum disease. While bone loss can happen to all people regardless of age or overall dental health, the older the patient the more common bone loss is. When the bone around the teeth is affected by infection or tooth loss, shrinkage occurs. This can result in the remaining teeth spreading out, moving, or becoming loose in the jaw.
A patient suffering from periodontal or gum disease will experience bone loss as a result of infection. This happens when the bacteria in dental plaque erodes the bone supporting and surrounding the teeth gradually.
Bone loss from a lost or missing tooth occurs because the jawbone is not receiving stimulation while biting or chewing. This lack of stimulus signals the body to redirect resources elsewhere because it senses that the bone in the affected area is not necessary to maintain. This has a knock-on effect, with bone loss weakening the structure of surrounding teeth which then receive less stimulation and so forth.
Symptoms of Bone Loss
Your dentist will likely be able to see the signs of bone loss over the course of regular visits, but it is important for everyone to be able to notice these symptoms in their own mouths. Commonly reported symptoms include bad breath, swelling in the gums, bleeding gums, gum recession, and gaps appearing between teeth. If you notice any of these symptoms, or your gums have shrunk and swollen and bleed when you brush, you should contact your dentist immediately. Failure to seek prompt treatment for bone loss can lead to further infection or disease and, ultimately, the loss of more teeth.
Causes of Dental Bone Loss
The most common problems that result in bone loss are gum disease and tooth loss. Traumatic injury due to contact sports or accidental impacts to the mouth or face may also add to the bone loss. Various serious medical conditions or poor nutritional health may also increase the risk of bone loss, but the most significant contributor to dental bone loss is smoking.
It is well known in the dental field that smokers have the worst susceptibility to gum disease related loss. Smoking not only increases the risks of contracting periodontal disease but also increases the damage done. Smoking will also inhibit the ability of treatment to repair the damage.
Prevention of Bone Loss
While Benjamin Franklin did not have dental health in mind specifically when he wrote “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” he was right that being vigilant about maintenance and proper care is the best way to avoid serious complications. Making the effort to keep good habits will go a long way to preventing gum disease and the bone loss associated with it. Practicing good oral hygiene, brushing and flossing regularly, is the best way to keep your gums healthy. Eating a balanced diet, avoiding tobacco, and limiting alcohol use are all good for overall health, but are also essential to keeping a healthy mouth.
Saving Teeth with Bone Loss
If normal preventative measures are not enough to keep gum disease from causing bone loss, there are a number of ways that dental professionals can help to save affected teeth. If the disease is still in its beginning stages, periodontal therapy and good home hygiene are often enough to reverse or even eradicate gum disease or bone loss.
When bone loss has occurred, regenerative grafting may help to repair some of the damage and keep teeth in place. If the problem is severe enough, dental implants may be necessary to replace missing teeth and keep the jawbone healthy.