Health

All You Need to Know About Dental Bone Grafting

Dental bone grafting adds volume to your jawbone when bone loss occurs. Your dentist can take the bone graft material from your body, get it from a human tissue bank or use an animal tissue. Sometimes bone graft material can be synthetic. Your LA Dentists Group specialist can recommend dental bone grafting if you are undergoing tooth extraction or do not have enough jawbone to support a dental implant.

Additionally, the procedure can be beneficial if you have bone loss due to gum disease or need to rebuild your jaw before getting dentures. Placing a grafting material into the affected bone stimulates your body’s natural ability to regenerate new tissues. Over time your body absorbs the grafted material, and the jawbone replicates its cells.

What happens before the dental bone grafting procedure?

Before the dental bone grafting process, your dentist will do an oral examination to observe the health of your gums, teeth, and jaw. The dentist may order a dental x-ray to determine the extent of your bone loss. Your dentist will then discuss the best treatment option for you.

What happens during the bone graft process?

Your specialist will numb the affected area with a local anesthetic, make a small incision in your gums and move it back slightly to make your jawbone visible. You may be sedated to promote comfort during the procedure. The specialist then cleans and disinfects the area and adds the bone graft to repair the defect. Your specialist finally repositions the gum tissue and closes the incision with stitches.

What should you expect after bone graft placement?

After the dental bone graft placement, you may experience pain, swelling, and bruising, but these effects fade within a few days. Your dentist may prescribe pain relievers to manage the effects and antibiotics to prevent infection. Small fragments of bone, resembling grains of salt or sand, may come out of the treated area within the first few days after bone grafting. The fragments are often not a concern but check with your specialist that you are healing appropriately.  

What are the risks and complications of dental bone grafting?

Generally, dental bone grafting is safe. Sometimes the treatment may include various risks, including infection, heavy bleeding, nerve damage, severe pain and swelling, and complications from anesthesia. These effects require medical attention.

Although rare, dental bone grafting can fail. Signs of bone grafting failure include pain or swelling that worsens after the first week of placement, pus from the grafted site, gum recession, and no improvement in jawbone volume. You are more likely to experience dental bone graft failure if you smoke or have certain medical issues.

What is the recovery period after dental bone grafting?

Most patients feel back to normal after a week or two. Full dental bone graft healing may take three to nine months or longer. The recovery period depends on the type of graft, the area being grafted, and your overall health.

Dental bone grafting adds jawbone volume after a loss happens. It can be beneficial before getting dentures and implants and after bone loss due to gum disease. Schedule an appointment at LA Dentists Group for dental bone grafting to restore your lost jawbone. 

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