Bone Grafting
Tooth loss has many significant effects on your life. Many of these effects are noticeable immediately, the impact on your smile, difficulty biting and chewing, and trouble speaking properly. Underneath the gums, something else is happening. When you lose teeth, your jaw loses stimulation. This lack of stimulation leads to fewer nutrients being delivered to the jaw and surrounding areas. Over time, the bone begins to grow weak, losing height, width, and mass. This causes your jaw to begin to change shape, which can affect your bite as well as your facial appearance. Skin sags and wrinkles form. Dental implants are a popular treatment for replacing missing teeth, but if you do not have enough bone mass in your jaw, they may not be successful. Henderson Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center can restore missing bone mass with and oral surgery called bone grafting.
The Importance of Bone Mass for Dental Implants
When using dental implants to replace missing teeth, your jawbone plays an important role. After the implants are placed, the bone fuses to the posts, stabilizing them in your jaw. However, if you have lost too much bone mass, there may not be enough bone for proper fusion. This can result in implants that are wobbly. In some cases, your implants may not even integrate at all.
What is Bone Grafting?
Bone grafting is a surgical procedure, or oral surgery option that is performed to restore missing bone mass in your jaw. When bone mass is replaced, the shape and strength of the jaw are restored, which can then make it possible for you to have dental implants placed. Bone grafting may use bone from another area of your own body, such as your hip or your femur, or it may use compatible donor bone from a tissue bank. We will be able to help determine the best type of bone graft to meet your specific needs.
The Different Types of Bone Grafts?
There are a few different types of bone grafts that may be used. These include:
- Autografts. This type of graft uses bone from your own body. The biggest advantage of this graft is that there is no risk for disease transmission. However, there will be two surgical sites.
- This type of graft uses bone from a compatible donor. The bone is thoroughly screened to minimize risks of disease transmission. Only one surgical site is needed.
- Xenogeneic grafts. A xenogeneic graft uses bone from other species, often cow or pig. The bone is processed at very high temperatures to minimize the risk for disease transmission. Like an allograft, only one surgical site is needed.
- Synthetic grafting materials. In some cases, we may recommend synthetic materials, such as bone morphogenic proteins.
How is Bone Grafting Done?
Bone grafting requires oral surgery. Before we begin, a local anesthetic is provided, ensuring that you will not feel any pain during the procedure. We can also provide you with sedation so that you can relax and remain comfortable. Surgery begins with incisions in your gums, providing us with access to your bone. Next, the bone material is taken and placed into the weak areas of your jaw. Once we have completed the procedure, your gums are sutured closed, and you go home to begin healing. Once fully healed from your bone graft, we can then begin the process of placing dental implants.
Learn more about Post-Operative Instructions for Bone Grafts
Once you have healed from your bone graft, then the process of getting dental implants can begin. If you do not have enough bone in your jaw to support dental implants a bone graft can help. Call our Henderson Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center offices on Green Valley Pkwy and St Rose Pkwy at (702)270-2999 to schedule your consultation today.
