Bone grafts

The jawbone holds the teeth intact and provides the necessary stability. When individuals lose their natural teeth due to causes such as cavities, oral infections, external dental trauma, etc., the jawbone could shrink or deteriorate. This can lead to several disadvantages, and most importantly, deny you the candidacy for dental implants. Hence, we recommend getting a bone graft done to replenish the volume of bone tissues in the jawbone.

What are the drawbacks of bone deterioration?

• When the jawbone shrinks, it can lead to a gradual change in the facial shape.
• The teeth could loosen from their sockets and drift towards the gap left by the missing tooth.
• When the teeth drift from their ideal orthodontic positions, it could give rise to a malocclusion as the alignment of the teeth would be affected.
• Placing dental implants would not be possible when the jawbone doesn’t have enough volume.

What is a bone graft?

A bone graft would involve extracting healthy bone tissues from a different source and grafting them near the jawbone. Over a few weeks, the newly grafted tissues would fuse with the existing tissues and increase the jawbone volume and size. There are various sources for the extraction of bone tissues, such as:

• From a healthy part of the patient’s own body.
• From cadavers.
• From healthy cattle.
• Artificially synthesizing tissues.

How is bone graft performed?

The dentist will run several tests and take scans and x-rays of the mouth to determine the candidacy for a bone graft. This data will be used to get a better view of the jawbone and draw out a suitable treatment plan. The donor bone tissues will be harvested and tested intensely to check for any signs of infection. The tissues will be sterilized, and the organic material will be removed from them, leaving behind only the minerals that would promote bone growth.

During the surgery, local anesthesia will be administered to the patient to numb the oral tissues and prevent discomfort. The bone tissues will be placed carefully near the deteriorated region, and a special dissolvable membrane will be placed over it to ensure its protection and optimum growth. After a few months, the bone would fuse with the newly grafted tissues and increase in volume. Once the dentist confirms optimum jawbone size and volume with the help of scans and x-rays, the implantation process will be planned.

Please get in touch with us through online consultation or by calling us at (408) 730-2475, and we’ll guide you further.