Bone grafting is a surgical procedure that’s sometimes needed before you can get a dental implant. Dental implants are small rods of titanium that are surgically implanted into your gums and jaw. Once they heal and bond with your jaw bone, they function as artificial tooth roots, and can support dental crowns and other implant restorations.
But for the procedure at our Spartanburg practice to work properly, your jaw bone must be strong enough to accommodate a dental implant, and to heal around it properly. If your jaw bone is weak, a bone graft may be recommended.
The bone grafting process is pretty simple to understand. It typically takes between 45-90 minutes at Skylyn Dental Associates. To begin the process, Dr. Gibas will clean and numb your mouth. We also offer sedation dentistry to keep you feeling comfortable during your treatment.
After this, he will clean and disinfect the treatment area and suture it shut. Then, you’ll be sent home from our Spartanburg office with recovery instructions.
Once you’re numbed and sedated, Dr. Gibas will use surgical tools to create a small opening in your gums and jaw bone, in the area where your future dental implant will be placed. Then, he will place bone granules in this opening.
Initial recovery takes only a week or two, but it will take several months for new natural bone to grow around the bone graft. Over time, natural bone will heal over the grafted bone material. This strengthens the area sufficiently for a dental implant, allowing you to permanently restore your missing tooth.
Bone grafts are needed when your jaw bone is not strong enough for a dental implant. There are a variety of reasons this may be the case. But the most common reason is “bone resorption” after tooth loss.
Normally, your tooth will stimulate the underlying jaw bone whenever you chew or bite. This keeps it strong. But after you lose a tooth, this is no longer the case. The jaw bone will begin to weaken, since it’s no longer being stimulated.You can lose up to 25% of your jaw bone mass within a year of losing a tooth. The only way to prevent this is to get a dental implant, which will stimulate your jaw just like a natural tooth, and stop further bone resorption.
But if it’s been a while since you’ve lost your tooth, you may already have lost too much bone material. If this is the case, a bone graft is the best way to restore your bone, and strengthen your jaw to accommodate a dental implant.
If you have a healthy mouth but your jaw bone is too weak for a dental implant, a bone graft may be right for you. The best way to find out if you’re a candidate for bone grafts in Spartanburg is to schedule a consultation at Skylyn Dental Associates. Contact us online or give us a call at (864) 573-9255 to get started today.
