Dental bone grafts are procedures performed by dentists to augment bone in a part of the jaw where the bone has deteriorated. The bone required for the grafting is taken from other body parts for surgical fusion with the existing jawbone. Synthetic bone material is also used in many cases.
Dental bone grafts become necessary if additional procedures like dental implants are intended or if the deterioration of bone affects the nearby teeth and gum’s health.
If you want to learn how bone grafts function, the procedure, and how long bone grafts last, we suggest you continue reading this post for details.
What Precisely Are Bone Grafts?
You can have bone grafts in different ways, but the basic procedure remains the same. Dentists or oral surgeons make incisions in the jaw to attach bone taken from other body parts or synthetic bone. Bone grafts become necessary if you have lost a tooth or two or have gum disease. Tooth loss and gum disease are both responsible for jawbone deterioration.
The Pearland dentist prefers using your bone from the hips, tibia, or the back of the jaw. Autograft is the name of this procedure considered the gold standard because besides increasing bone support, it also helps promote faster healing and formation of new bone.
Dentists perform different types of bone grafts taking bones from your body as described above when performing autografts, using bones from cadavers to perform allografts, using bones from animals to perform xenografts, and synthetic bones when performing alloplasts.
Suitable Candidates for Dental Bone Grafts
If you intend to receive dental implants to replace missing teeth and do not have adequate jawbone to support them, you become a candidate to receive a bone graft. Dental implants function as your artificial tooth roots resembling screws embedded into your jawbone, and a dental crown similar to your neighboring teeth is mounted atop it to serve as your artificial tooth.
Often bone grafts become necessary to provide the implant with a stable base for support. Bone grafts also become essential for people with a sagging appearance because of bone loss. For example, if jawbone loss occurs in the lower jawbone, it makes the area appear forward, causing changes in the shape of your lips and muscles to make them look wrinkled.
Bone loss is common among the elderly because of conditions like osteoporosis thinning the bone. However, patients of all ages might require bone because of injuries to the jaw or poor dental hygiene.
How long does a bone graft take to recover?
After receiving bone grafting in Pearland, TX, you will likely leave the dental practice with gauze around the incision in your mouth. You receive instructions from the dentist to change the dressing in the next 24 hours, besides prescriptions for antibiotics to prevent infections.
Alternative post-operative care tips include applying ice packs to your cheeks to reduce swelling during an initial couple of days and soft and bland foods for a few days, besides keeping your head elevated when sleeping.
While recovering, you must avoid hot liquids like coffee and soups, crunchy foods, and physical activity such as contact sports.
After about a week, the pain in your jaw subsides to mild discomfort, and the surgical site feels better. The surgical site requires a few weeks to return to normal, but it may take a few months to recover entirely from the procedure to proceed with receiving dental implants.
Is a bone graft worth it?
Bone grafting near you is the only option if you have lost teeth and intend to get implants but have inadequate jawbone. Without receiving bone grafts, you become ineligible for dental implants. You must consider alternative options like dentures or bridges if you still have healthy teeth besides the edentulous gap between your teeth. Therefore if you intend to replace missing teeth with Implants, a bone graft is worth the pain and expense.
How long do bone grafts last?
Dental bone grafts are highly successful, but the durability of the procedure varies differently between patients. Before performing bone grafting, the Pearland dentist diagnoses your jawbone and entire health to check for diabetes and other immunosuppressive conditions. How long bone grafts last depends on how well you care for yourself after the procedure, refrain from lifestyle habits like smoking, and maintain excellent dental hygiene to ensure the process succeeds and enables you to receive dental implants.
Harmony dental – Pearland, TX, performs bone grafts on approximately 50 percent of patients requesting dental implants. If you have lost teeth and consider the gold standard replacement solution for missing teeth scheduling an appointment with this practice helps you receive dental implants and bone grafting if required under one roof.