Using Dental Implants to Treat Periodontal Disease

While easily prevented, gum disease can leave a lasting negative impact on the rest of your smile. In more advanced cases, periodontitis can cause teeth loss, compromising the long-term function, aesthetics, and health of the dentition.

For patients suffering from advanced gum disease, treatment and restoration go hand in hand. In Northern Virginia, Lorton-Springfield oral surgeon Dr. Snehal Patel offers dental implants as a long-term restorative solution for people who have lost one or more teeth to gum disease. By coordinating treatment and restoration care closely with your general dentist and periodontist, our oral surgeon in Springfield helps patients reverse the damage caused by advanced periodontitis and restore function to their smile.

Why Consider Dental Implants after Gum Disease

Treating advanced gum disease requires a multi-faceted approach. In cases where infection has caused tooth loss or bone deterioration, treating and removing infected tissue is just one part of the solution. While some may opt for traditional tooth replacement, dentures and bridges do not fully address bone loss, opening to door for further dental issues in the future.

Dental implants are purposely designed to functionally mimic natural teeth and interact with bone tissue just like natural teeth roots. As a result, implants stimulate bone regrowth, preventing further tissue resorption and protecting the overall structure of the jaw. Since most patients with weakened jaw bones often require bone grafting prior to implant placement, this oral surgery further reinforces the jaw bone and helps improve overall oral health.

Above the gums, dental implants serve as a sterile tooth replacement, protecting dental alignment and restoring missing teeth without compromising neighboring healthy teeth. While patients recovering from gum disease do have a higher risk of implant failure, comprehensive gum disease therapy before implant placement and vigilant oral hygiene following implant treatment can enhance the longevity of your new restoration.

Dental Implants in Lorton and Springfield

During your implant treatment, our goal is to ensure long-lasting, predictable results. By relying on the latest dental technology and coordinating treatment with your dentist, our oral surgeon is able to provide patients with comprehensive care. For more information about dental implants following gum disease treatment, call or visit Dr. Patel today.

Guided Surgery

At Dr. Snehal Patel’s practice, advanced dental technology allows our Springfield oral surgeon to provide patients with precise, long-lasting dental solutions. Guided dental implant surgery is one more way we help patients regain full dental function. 

What is Guided Surgery?

Guided implant surgery is based on in-depth images of your entire smile using a cone beam scan. The resulting scans are then used to create a 3D model of the dentition and jaw bone, which allows our oral surgeon to create a virtual surgical guide for future implant placement. During the procedure, this guide is used to preprogram the instruments used to place the implants, ensuring the post is placed in t

the optimal location and at the right depth for best results.

Advantages of Guided Surgery

The use of a digitized system for implant dentistry provides a number of benefits to patients before, during, and after their treatment.  

Prior to treatment, the creation of a personalized surgical guide ensures that your implant treatment is as customized to your smile as possible. The comprehensive measurements used to create the guide allow for future implants to be placed precisely and strategically, creating best support for restorations while protecting the overall structure of the smile.

Traditional implant placement requires a good deal of guesswork during the actual surgery; dentists and oral surgeons manually placing implants the traditional way must be careful to drill into bone just enough to place the implants without causing damage to the overall bone structure. On the other hand, if the implant is not placed deep enough, there is an elevated risk of implant failure and patients may not enjoy full use of their new restoration.

With guided surgery, the depth and size of the bone is already predetermined, eliminating the risk of over- or under-drilling. During implant placement, the surgical guides help minimize the risk of damage to other important components of the smile, including the nerves, sinuses, and blood vessels that surround bone.  Ultimately, this precision and accuracy leaves patients with higher chances of successful implant treatment and predictable results.

Guided Implant Surgery in Northern Virginia

At Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery, we offer a number of dental implant options and work with local general dentists to ensure patients receive the best care possible. To learn more about the advantages of guided implant surgery and explore your dental implant options, call our locations in Springfield and Lorton or schedule a complimentary dental implant consultation online.