When you have significant bone loss in your jaw and need a dental implant or bridge, a bone graft may be required. While bone grafting is a significant surgical procedure, there’s no need to worry when you turn to a San Diego Dentist Association member. The complexity of a bone graft is determined by how much bone is present and how much height, width, and depth are necessary to perform restoration work.
You can lose jawbone mass and need a bone graft when you have experienced these situations:
- Gum disease that has not been quickly treated. Periodontal infections can erode and eat away jawbone, making teeth unstable and perhaps causing tooth loss. This loss of bone must be corrected before the tooth can be replaced with a dental implant or bridge.
- A tooth extraction several years ago. Over the three years or so following an extraction, the amount of bone in that area can dwindle by 40 to 60 percent. If you later want a restoration, the bone defect must be corrected.
- Other infection or injury. The jawbone can recede because of a broken jaw, a blow to the jaw that doesn’t cause a break, a facial or jaw infection and many other causes. How this is restored depends on the nature of the injury.
Why Bone Grafting Is Necessary
Bone graft treatment is complex in most cases, but the process is usually successful and is better than living with missing or diseased teeth, jawbone deformities and other issues that can be corrected.
The two primary reasons for jawbone grafting are jaw stabilization and preservation. A jaw stabilization procedure must be done before implant surgery in some cases so that the implant has a solid bone to adhere to. In these cases, grafting gives a weak part of the jaw the stability it needs to hold the metal post of the implant.
For preservation purposes, a bone graft can limit how much bone loss takes place and help you keep what you already have. It can also help preserve jawbone loss when done at the same time as or soon after tooth extraction.
What’s Involved In Bone Grafting?
Bone grafting begins with a dental exam. If there is gum disease present in the area where grafting is needed or there is decay or other tooth problems, these issues must be resolved before grafting can happen. Panoramic x-rays will be taken by your dental team to help the dentist get a clear view of where you stand. In limited cases, a CT scan may be required for a better look. From these test results, your dentist may decide to explore the area by numbing it and probing to assess how much bone you will need to have grafted.
There are essentially three types of bone graft, and your dentist must decide which is the right treatment in your case. These types are:
Autogenous Bone Graft. The most common in otherwise healthy people involves bone taken from somewhere else in your body, most often the lower back of the chin or jaw. Your body is unlikely to reject its own bone, so these procedures are usually successful.
Allograft Bone Graft. This type of graft uses synthetic bone or cadaver bone and is the best choice when there isn’t enough healthy bone available elsewhere in a patient’s body.
Xenograft Bone Graft. This grafting procedure uses bone from a cow or other animal and is used if neither of the two methods above is possible in a specific case.
Please understand that a bone graft is not simple, but your SDDA dentist can help you through it. It can take months from beginning to end. Steps involved include locating and acquiring the bone, placing it, and fusing it to existing bone.
When it’s time for the surgery, the dentist will use a local anesthetic to numb the area and make an incision to prepare the new bone site. Once the bone is placed, your dentist will probably place a membrane over it to help with healing and reduce the chance of infection. You may be required to have an overnight hospital stay. After the procedure, you will need to follow careful after-care instructions and probably take antibiotics and pain medication.
To consult with a dentist about bone grafts and other dental restoration solutions, reach out to a top SDDA dentist now. Your oral and dental issues have solutions, and these experienced professionals can help you find the solutions that are right for you.