Once a natural tooth is no longer anchored within the jawbone, deterioration begins. This deterioration affects the vertical and horizontal aspects of the bone. The term used when referring to this type of bone loss is ‘resorption.’ Resorption occurs when the tooth is gone and the jawbone is no longer stimulated. Individuals with a substantial amount of jawbone resorption who want endosseous root-formed implants placed will need to have a bone-grafting or osteotome technique performed first.
Endosseous root-form implants offer an excellent, long-term success rate; however, if these implants are placed in bone of deficient quality and volume, the implant survival rate falls. With a narrow bone ridge, endosseous root-form implants cannot be placed and expected to provide the patient with a long-term dental solution. Although bone-grafting is always an option, the osteotome technique offers patients a faster, less taxing solution to resorption issues. Surgeons use the osteotome technique to expand and reposition the alveolar bone to create a strong foundation for dental implant placement.