What Is A Dental Bone Graft?

Dental Bone Graft is a procedure that is conducted to boost the amount of bone in a part of the jaw where there has been a bone loss or any part which needs additional support.

The bone may be taken from some other part of the body & surgically fused to the existing jaw bone or a synthetic bone material may be used for the procedure which is usually needed before procedures like dental implants or if the health of the nearby gums and teeth is being negatively affected by the bone loss.

Dental bone grafting can be performed in several ways but the basic procedure remains the same, where an incision is made in the jaw by a dentist or oral surgeon and grafts or attaches other bone material to the jaw.

A dental bone graft is generally performed when someone has lost one or more adult teeth or suffers from gum disease, a condition that can lead to bone loss in the jaw.

What are the Types of dental bone grafts?

• Autografts: These types of grafts use bone from the patient’s own body, such as the hip or jaw.
• Allografts: This type of graft makes use of the bone from another person.

• Xenografts: These bone grafts use bone from an animal tissue bank and use bone from another species like cow, pig, or coral.

• Alloplasts. This graft uses synthetic material, like calcium phosphate or calcium sodium phosphosilicate 

Who needs a dental bone graft?

A dental bone graft is usually needed by a person who has suffered bone loss in their jaw usually. The procedure is recommended by the dentist in the following cases:

• The patient needs a tooth extraction.

• A bone graft can be performed on someone who opts for a tooth restoration procedure like dental implants which are artificial screw-shaped roots that are placed in the jawbone. A crown that looks like and matches the real teeth is then secured on the tip of the implant. In this case,e bone grafting sometimes becomes a necessity to provide a sturdy base for an implant.

• The jaw needs to be rebuilt before you get dentures.

• When one has suffered bone loss due to gum disease also known as periodontal disease. The teeth and gum tissue nearby can start getting affected due to gum disease and the bone graft can help to stabilize the jaw, preventing further bone loss and also avoiding other long-term health issues that may come with it. Unmanaged gum disease can not only lead to further tooth loss but even heart disease.

• Facial structure needs to be maintained as the bone loss in the jaw can make the face look shorter and drawn. Loss of lower jawbone mass can make it appear protruding forward and lack of healthy bone structure can make the lips and muscles change in appearance and also cause the skin in the jaw area to appear more wrinkled. Although Jawbone loss is more common in older adults, people of any age can suffer from it due to injury in the jaw or due to poor oral hygiene. Some other health problems, like major infections, can also lead to jaw bone loss. A dental bone graft can help rebuild the facial structure in such cases too.

How painful is a dental bone graft?

A dental bone graft is usually a minor procedure done under sedation and is painless. We at Morgan Hill dentistry specialize in Sedation Dentistry and make sure that the dental procedures are as comfortable as possible for our patients.

The pain, if any, after wearing off the anesthesia is also mild and easily manageable with over-the-counter pain medications. However, in the case where bone material is obtained from the patient’s own body, the recovery can be painful, as surgery is done in two places of the body.

But the amount of bone usually harvested is fairly small, thus the discomfort period is also quite less. One must make sure to take the medications as prescribed and follow all the post-operative instructions carefully. Read more