Bone is a supportive tissue in your body that helps anchor and protect organs. Your teeth too are surrounded and embedded within the alveolar bone. Healthy alveolar bone is essential to provide a strong anchorage or foundation for the teeth that they hold. However, gum diseases, tooth removal, and trauma can compromise the height, shape, and density of the alveolar bone.
Lansing, MI dental practice can offer comprehensive restoration of your compromised jawbone density and volume through a surgical procedure known as bone grafting.
What is meant by bone grafting?
Bone grafting is a surgical procedure that involves adding volume and density to your jaw in areas where bone loss has occurred. The bone material is extracted from your body, or a donor, or it could be synthetic. A bone graft helps to reinforce the weakened or lost alveolar bone that is responsible for stabilizing your teeth. It effectively counteracts the natural resorption of the jaw bone post-tooth extraction. This helps to preserve both your facial profile and your overall oral function.
Why is bone grafting recommended?
Bone grafting is usually indicated when there is bone loss in your jaw. Dentists recommend this procedure when you:
- Plan to replace missing teeth with a dental implant
- Need to rebuild the jaw before getting dentures
- Have areas of bone loss due to gum disease
How is bone grafting performed?
Bone graft is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed as an outpatient treatment. Here is a detailed guide to the procedure.
Your dentist will:
- Administer local anesthesia (a numbing agent) before the procedure.
- Check your vitals like BP, heart rate, and pulse.
- Disinfect the surgical site with an antiseptic solution to get rid of any contamination. This aids in the prevention of infection near the surgical site.
- Begin the procedure with a small incision or cut in the gums to raise a flap, and expose the bone.
- Lift the flap and place the graft in the deficient area for the bone to grow together.
- Secure the graft using special screws or adhesive material.
- Suture the incision at the surgical site to close the wound.
Your jaw will feel normal after a few weeks, however, it may take months before your jaw is strong enough to receive implants.
Keynote
Bone grafting is a minimally invasive procedure performed to rehabilitate diseased or damaged jawbone. It helps prevent long-term health problems associated with tooth loss and gum disease that negatively impact the underlying bone. It also aids in providing sufficient bone material to support dental implants.
