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Dental Bone Grafting
What is a dental bone graft?
A dental bone graft is a minor surgical procedure that uses bone material—your own, harvested from the pelvis or tibia, or donor or synthetic material—to stimulate regrowth in your jaw. During the procedure, the dentist will make an incision in your gums to access the bone beneath. The bone material is then injected into the incision through a syringe. A collagen membrane will cover the graft for optimum repair, and the dentist will stitch the gums shut. During the healing process, the bone material will act as a scaffold onto which your body will build new bone. Once healing is complete, you will have sufficient bone mass to support dental implants.
Bone Graft Types and Techniques
Ridge preservation
In addition to preparing the jaw for dental implants, bone grafting procedures can be used for other dental purposes. If you’ve lost a tooth from an injury, or you need a tooth extracted due to decay, a bone graft procedure should be performed immediately to minimize bone loss and gum recession in neighboring teeth. Ridge preservation bone grafting can prepare your jawbone for an eventual dental implant. It’s important to note that without an implant, the jawbone will eventually start to deteriorate without a tooth anchoring it in place, despite a previous bone grafting procedure.
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Periodontal bone graft
Another reason you might need a dental bone graft is to repair damaged bone caused by periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is caused by severe plaque and tartar build-up, which leads to inflamed and receding gums, loose teeth, and eventually bone loss. Periodontal bone grafts can regrow previously infected and damaged bone, which will in turn save the affected tooth so you don’t need to replace it with a dental implant.