A bone graft is a surgical procedure where your dentist adds bone tissue to your jaw bone to strengthen it, improve bone loss or prepare for your jaw bone for another dental procedure. During the procedure native or donor bone is used to grow bone where needed such as in extraction sites. After a tooth is extracted or when there is gum disease the supporting bone can reabsorb. Bone grafting allows us to restore form, function and aesthetics. It helps treat disease and it gives us the ability to place implants of proper length and width.
Bone grafting encourages natural growth of bone tissues. A patient may require a bone graft for a variety of reasons:
- Strengthening a jaw bone that is too thin or too soft
- Preparing for the placement of a dental implant
- Regenerating bone loss caused by severe gum disease
- Prevent teeth from loosening or falling out
Types of Bone Grafts:
Block Bone Graft: In this type of bone graft, the bone from the back of the jawbone, near the wisdom teeth is used. This is a good option if you have serious bone loss that needs to be addressed.
Socket Graft:
A socket graft is the type of graft you can get at the same time as you get a tooth extracted. This prevents bone loss usually associated with adult tooth loss.
The socket graft prevents the body to reabsorb the bone near the tooth which is extracted. This keeps your jaw ready for the dental implants you’ll get to replace the missing tooth.
Sinus Lift
A sinus lift is a bone graft that adds bone to your upper back jaw. This bone graft is useful if you’ve lost some of the molars on your upper row of teeth. Part of the sinus may actually start to reach downward, filling in the gap left by the teeth. A sinus lift restores the sinus to normal, while repairing the gap with a bone graft instead.
After the Bone Graft:
There would be some pain and swelling after the procedure that can be usually taken care of by icing the area. Your dentist might recommend or prescribe pain medication as well. Your dentist will also recommend what kind of foods you can consume. Expect to be eating either very soft foods or just liquids for a while. Also, strenuous activities should be avoided until the site is healed. A complete list of do’s and don’ts will be provided by the dentist so that you can take all the necessary precautions after the procedure.
Give us a call today at Mosaic Smile Care for a consultation to evaluate if you are a candidate for a bone graft.
