Advantages of a Bone Grafting Procedure

Bone grafting has become an essential tool in the arsenal of a dentist and periodontist, allowing them to repair a smile using dental implants. For people who are missing teeth and do not have the jaw bone structure to be able to put in a direct dental implant, bone grafting is a technique that we can use to shore up your bone and ensure that the dental implant is successful. Dental implants are one of the most popular options that people are choosing to replace lost teeth.

Dental implants look and function almost identical to your regular tooth.  A successful dental implant is going to be undetectable. However, in order for dental implants to function correctly, periodontists attach the implant directly into the jaw bone. Thus, a jaw bone has to be healthy enough to sustain and support the dental implant. If the jaw bone is not strong enough, that dental implant may fail. As a result, we find that if your jaw bone is not healthy enough to have the implant we can use bone grafting to strengthen the jaw bone and place the implant after.

Most of our patients do not understand exactly what bone grafting is. In a bone grafting procedure we are going to be taking a section of bone from another area of your body, use a special bone grafting material, and then graft, or place it, on to your jaw bone. Often we can harvest a small piece of bone from your thigh or another large bone. It is important to understand that bone grafting is major oral surgery. Once we complete the bone graft, it is going to take time for the jaw bone to heal properly.

In most cases, the successful bone graft surgery will make you wait for several months while the grafted bone creates enough new, strong bone to make sure that your dental implant is going to be both stable and secure. Sometimes, if the graft is minor then we can do the dental implants at the same time but this is decided on a case-by-case basis.

Once we have completed the bone grafting, and we are convinced of the strength and stability of the bone, the dental implant procedure can go on. As with any surgical procedure, it is very important that you discuss your personal medical history and examine all the risks and benefits of the surgery. Bone grafting has become extremely common, especially among folks of advanced age, who want to have their teeth back. If you have any questions about bone grafting, dental implants, or tooth restoration it is always a good idea to schedule a consultation and get all your questions answered before deciding to proceed with the process.