Myeongil-dong Implant Treatment in Your 20s: The Reason It Ended Up Requiring Bone Grafting After Thinking, “I’m Young, So It’ll Be Fine”

Hello,

I’m the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

“I'm still young, so surely nothing serious will happen, right?

Even if it’s a little uncomfortable, I can just chew on one side.”

That’s what the patient in their 20s, who had left a broken molar root in place for quite a long time, thought at first too.

But the inside of our mouth is much more sensitive than you might think.

When one tooth collapses, the surrounding teeth begin to fall like dominoes.

Myeongil-dong implant treatment in your 20s: the reason it ended up requiring bone grafting

Today, I’ll explain step by step what kind of chain reaction can happen when one tooth is left untreated,

through a real case I personally treated.

The “domino effect” that occurs when one tooth is missing Myeongil-dong implant treatment in your 20s: the reason it ended up requiring bone grafting

A patient in their 20s came in with pain in the right molar area, and when I examined the inside of the mouth,

an upper molar, which plays one of the most important roles among our teeth,

(#16) was left as only the root.

Because only the root had been left there for quite a long time,

the molar next to it (#17) and the wisdom tooth (#18)

had all tilted forward.

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When there is empty space, our teeth have a tendency to move toward it.

Teeth that have fallen over like this do not receive proper chewing force, which makes inflammation at the root tip more likely.

When I examined the X-ray,

the tooth left as a root and the adjacent tooth both showed inflammation spreading at the root tips, leaving them in a loose state.

Also, the wisdom tooth at the very back was already quite advanced in decay.

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But an even bigger problem was the temporomandibular joint.

Because one upper molar—the one most important for eating—was missing,

they had been eating only on the left side for the past few years.

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As a result, only one side of the muscles was overused,

and they began to hear clicking sounds in the jaw and even developed pain.

When something breaks down in one part of the body, problems often occur in a chain like this.

For this patient, above all,

it was urgent to restore an environment where they could chew comfortably on both sides as soon as possible.

Efforts to save the natural tooth Myeongil-dong implant treatment in your 20s: the reason it ended up requiring bone grafting

The wisdom tooth with severe decay and the tooth left as only a root had no choice but to be extracted,

but I truly wanted to save the tooth (#17) that was becoming loose because of inflammation.

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They were still in their 20s, with many years ahead,

so I wanted to protect as many natural teeth as possible.

The “chewing feel” and “durability” of our original teeth

can never be fully replaced by any artificial tooth.

That’s why, if there is even the slightest possibility, I never give up easily, and I think once more from the patient’s perspective.

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Over about 3 to 4 sessions, I carefully performed root canal treatment and waited earnestly for the inflammation to subside.

Unfortunately, the inflammation was too deep, and there was no sign of improvement.ㅜㅜ

The looseness also remained,

and the discomfort the patient felt did not improve.

If we left it longer, there was a risk that the surrounding bone would continue to dissolve,

so in the end, with regret, we decided to proceed with extraction and then an implant.

When efforts to save a tooth do not come to fruition, I feel very heavy-hearted too.ㅜㅜ

The implant procedure after extraction, including sinus lift surgery Myeongil-dong implant treatment in your 20s: the reason it ended up requiring bone grafting

When we analyzed the CT scan to place the implant, another obstacle was waiting.

Because the inflammation had been left untreated for a long time,

the jawbone had dissolved, and the remaining bone height was less than 2 mm.

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For an implant root to be stably anchored,

at least 8 to 10 mm of bone is needed, so the situation was far from sufficient.ㅜㅜ

At this point, some people might be surprised and think,

“What? Bone grafting already in your 20s?”

People often think bone grafting is something only older adults need,

but in fact, bone loss has nothing to do with age.

In particular, the upper molar area has a hollow space called the maxillary sinus,

so bone grafting is very difficult there.

After carefully lifting the thin sinus membrane, we performed a “sinus lift” by filling the space with bone graft material.

This is a procedure that requires a high level of concentration,

because even a tiny mistake can tear the membrane.

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Fortunately, the surgery was very successful,

and we established a solid foundation for the implant to take hold.

After surgery, until the prosthetic was completed Myeongil-dong implant treatment in your 20s: the reason it ended up requiring bone grafting

After carefully completing the surgery, we waited about 7 months for the grafted bone and implant to fuse firmly together.

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Because the patient was in their 20s, bone metabolism was good, so the results were promising.

Seven months later, when we checked the measurement with a device, we got a very stable result of “78.”

Normally, a score above 70 is considered an excellent condition for placing a prosthetic.

Now it was time for the final step: the prosthetic.

Using our dental clinic’s proud oral scanner, we took a precise digital impression of the mouth.

There was no need for the patient to keep biting on sticky impression material, so it was much more comfortable.

Based on the digital data obtained this way, we completed it with a zirconia prosthetic that is as durable as a natural tooth and naturally colored.

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Meanwhile, by consistently combining temporomandibular joint physical therapy and medication treatment,

the jaw pain and clicking that had been troubling the patient also improved noticeably.

At last, they were able to eat freely with both molars, which made me genuinely happy too^^

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Just because there is a problem with a tooth, that does not mean a major surgery is always necessary.

If the symptoms are not severe, there are many cases where simply monitoring regularly is enough.

However, if discomfort while chewing keeps recurring, it is better to check the exact condition at least once to avoid greater hardship later.

If you have felt uneasy in the back of your mind because you delayed treatment, please feel free to visit now.

We will think together about the best option for your situation.

Thank you^^

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| This post was written directly by Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic for the purpose of providing medical information in compliance with Article 56, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Advertising Act. The information provided is recommended for reference only, and for symptom assessment and accurate management methods, please visit a medical institution and receive guidance from medical staff. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may have individual risks (inflammation, bleeding, swelling, etc.). Please make decisions after sufficient consultation with medical staff in advance. The treatment cases in this post were photographed with the consent of patients who completed treatment at our clinic, and the before-and-after photos were taken under the same conditions. |