Bone graft is a dental procedure used to restore and regenerate bone in the jaw. It involves taking bone material from another source, such as the patient’s own body, a donor, or synthetic materials, and placing it in the area where bone loss has occurred. The graft acts as a scaffold, stimulating the body’s natural healing process and encouraging new bone growth.
This procedure is commonly performed in preparation for dental implants, as it helps create a solid foundation for implant placement. It can also be used to repair bone defects caused by trauma or disease. It is a safe and effective way to enhance the strength and stability of the jawbone, enabling successful dental treatments.
There are various types of bone grafts. All are designed to build up the bone that is missing. The type of graft and the material used would be determined by your dentist.
This type of graft does not mean you have an inadequate jawbone for an implant. This type of graft is used to fill in the hole from an extraction site. When an extraction leaves a hole bigger than an implant, it has to be filled in, so there is no vacancy around the implant, which would cause it to fail.
Sometimes the patient has suffered too much bone loss for an implant to be placed without building up the bone. A sinus lift is used in smaller areas of a few teeth, in the upper jaw, below the sinus cavity.
When there is a lot of bone loss in the sinus area, front of the mouth, and even in the lower jawline, the bone can be replaced with this type of graft. A block of bone material, which can be either artificial bone, cadaver bone, or bovine bone, is screwed into place with small titanium screws. After the bone has healed and integrated into the natural bone, it serves well to hold implants.
Our skilled dentists perform bone graft procedures to help patients regain healthy bone structure, whether it’s for dental implant placement or to address bone deficiencies.
The dentist will assess to determine the extent of bone loss and the specific areas that require grafting and evaluate the condition of the patient’s jawbone using imaging techniques such as X-rays or CT scans then will develop a treatment plan tailored to the patient’s needs.
During the procedure, the dentist will create a small incision in the gum tissue to access the bone. Depending on the case, bone graft material, which can be synthetic, from a donor, or taken from the patient’s own body, will be placed in the targeted area. The graft material serves as a scaffold to stimulate new bone growth and integration with the existing bone.
After the bone graft is placed, the dentist will carefully suture the incision site and provide post-operative instructions for proper healing. Over time, the grafted bone will naturally fuse and integrate with the surrounding bone, a process known as osseointegration and the patient will be advised to follow a special diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and avoid putting excessive pressure on the grafted area during the healing phase.
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