The chances are good that you have heard the phrase “dental implants” uttered at least once, even if you have never had an implant yourself. However, not many people have heard of bone grafting. While bone grafting before getting dental implants near you is not always necessary, these two procedures are often performed together. In this blog post, our team at Artis Dental Centre explains what bone grafting is and why it is sometimes necessary before getting dental implants in New Westminster.
What is Bone Grafting?
A bone graft is a surgical procedure that is used to rebuild and repair bones that have deteriorated through a bone transplant. By transplanting healthy bone tissue, your dentist in New Westminster can recreate strong and healthy bone in an area where a tooth has been lost.
When you lose a tooth due to tooth decay or injury, the space in the jawbone where the tooth once was must be filled; otherwise, the jawbone underneath will deteriorate to get rid of the now unneeded space. A bone graft addresses this problem so that you have enough space to get dental implants in New Westminster and replace the missing tooth.
What Are the Types of Bone Grafting?
There are many types of bone grafts available. The type of bone graft that your dentist in New Westminster chooses will depend on the location of your missing tooth and the amount of damage you are dealing with. Here are some of the most common grafts performed:
- Socket grafts: these are ideally performed immediately after a tooth is removed to conserve as much of the alveolar ridge as possible and prevent any deterioration from happening in the first place. In the majority of cases, socket grafts use bone from a nonhuman source, such as a cow.
- Sinus lift grafts: this method is used when you require an implant in your upper jaw because this area is often not stable enough to hold an implant. This type of graft uses horse bone most of the time, which is stronger but still physically similar to a human bone.
- Block bone grafts: your dentist in New Westminster will use a block of bone taken from your lower jaw or chin near where your wisdom teeth were to use for this type of graft. These are used when socket grafts will not provide enough thickness to build up a deteriorated jawbone.
Healing from a Bone Graft
The recovery period for a bone graft varies depending on the type of procedure you end up getting, your age, and overall physical health. Generally, the recovery time can be anywhere from two weeks to two months.
You will have to wait until your bone graft has fused with the rest of your anatomy before you can move forward with the dental implant procedure, and this process typically takes a few months. During this time, you will need to visit your dentist for regular checkups so that they can ensure you are healing correctly.
The Bottom Line
Bone grafting is used to reinforce and rebuild bone material by transplanting healthy bone tissue from another source to the affected area. If you need dental implants, this procedure may be recommended to ensure that your implants are successful.
