Bone Grafting Procedure: Things to know about
Bone Grafting
Bone Grafting is a surgical procedure which is used to fix the problems with bones and joints. The same applies when you are losing on your teeth. For a successful Dental Implant surgery, you need to have jawbone that supports the implants. So when you loose your teeth you also start losing bone in your jaw. Tooth loss is a common problem faced by millions of people worldwide and the reason can be:
- Periodontal Disease
- Dental Caries or Cavities and Infection
- Any sort of accident
- A tooth development defect
While undergoing an implant procedure you might need a bone under your jaw, only if the bone is not tall, wide or both. Bone Grafting or Bone Augmentation is the process which defines building a bone in an attempt to place the implants.
Bone Grafting: Procedure
The procedure of bone grafting involves adding of bone to your jaw. Your dentist will decide what kind of graft he will be using. It can be a bone from your own body or from a deceased body. The wait time for grafted material to fuse with your gum goes up to several months. Generally your dentist will prefer using bone from your own body and preferably from hips or below the knee. There are different procedures that your dentist can incorporate for bone grafting. The procedure depends upon the type, location and how many implants are required. Your dentist will discuss all the applicable procedures. After the procedure is completed your dentist will wait for four to nine months before he places the implants. During that time the titanium screws which were used to anchor the bone in place will be removed and then the implant will be placed.
In case you are among those who need multiple implants then the bone will be extracted from your hips. The reason is simple – Multiple Implants will require bone and hips have a huge quantity of bone. So if you are undergoing such a procedure then you will under the anesthesia and you might have to spend a day or two in the hospital.
Success Rate of Bone Grafting
Be rest assured about the success rate. This is a sure shot treatment for Dental Implants. Although there are chances (which are too minimum) that they will fail and honestly no dentist knows why it happens. However they have time and again claimed that people who smoke or are under some sort of medical condition have a higher chance of not accepting bone grafts. If your graft have failed then they will be removed. Once the area is healed your dentist will place a second graft.
Other type of Bone Augmentation procedures
If you think that bone grafting is the only procedure to fix your jaw then time to think again. There are other procedures as well such as:
- Sinus Lift: This procedure is used to increase the height of your jaw. This is accomplished by filling up your maxillary sinus with a bone
- Ridge Expansion: Done when the jaw is not wide enough to support your implants.
- Distraction Osteogenesis: This is not much used these days but it is used for increasing the height of the bone that is too short. Osteogenesis means creating or forming a new bone.
Conclusion
So this was an in depth detail about the Bone Grafting procedure. Anything you would want to add? Feel free to comment.