Bone Grafting
A bone graft is a surgical, dental procedure used to replenish the volume of bone tissues in the jawbone. The jawbone could shrink or deteriorate when your natural tooth is extracted. This makes placing a dental implant quite tricky, thereby denying you eligibility for the restoration. Hence, a bone graft would be performed to increase jawbone volume.
Need for a Bone Graft
A bone graft would be required when you wish to get your missing tooth replaced by a dental implant. Implants are placed directly in the jawbone, but you would require optimum jawbone volume to be deemed a suitable candidate for implants. If not, the implant may not be stable enough in the jawbone, and the chances of it getting displaced or knocked out are higher. Hence, we recommend a bone graft so that the jawbone has enough volume to hold the implant in place firmly.
How Is the Bone Graft Carried Out at Troy Ha, DDS?
The dentist thoroughly diagnoses your jawbone using x-rays and digital scans. This helps us get a better view of the jawbone and determine whether or not it requires a graft. Once your need and eligibility for the bone graft are confirmed, the dentist will prepare you for surgery.
Healthy bone tissues can be extracted from various sources, such as the following:
- The patient’s body
- Cadavers
- Artificial synthesis
- Bovine bones
The bone tissues will be extracted from the donor site and tested rigorously to check for any signs of infection or decay. Once the tissues are approved, they will be sterilized, and the organic material will be extracted from them completely. The remaining minerals would then be used for the bone graft, as they would help to promote better growth of the jawbone.
Before starting the grafting procedure, the dentist will administer local anesthesia to ensure you do not feel any pain or discomfort. The extracted and sterilized tissues will be placed near the deteriorated region carefully, and a dissolvable membrane will be used to keep the minerals from getting eroded. After a few months of healing, the newly grafted tissues would fuse with the existing bone, thereby displaying an increase in volume. We will then take X-rays and scans of the jawbone to determine if its volume is suitable for dental implantation.
We invite you to schedule a consultation with our team of dental experts at our Long Beach, CA office to get all your oral concerns addressed at the earliest. Please call us at (562) 432-9883 or schedule an online consultation, and we’ll be happy to help.
