Bone Grafting
Wilmington, DE
 If you suffer from gum disease or have lost an adult tooth, you will have lost bone. Bone grafting may be needed as part of your implant treatment. Delaware Periodontics can help you with this challenge.
What Causes Bone Loss?
Whenever you lose teeth as an adult, the bone that supported that now lost tooth starts to disappear. Advanced stages of gum disease let bacteria invade your mouth, and that bacteria can destroy your gums and then work its way down to your bones.
When you lose bones in your jaw and face, it can affect the way that your face looks. Missing teeth, sagging features, and trouble speaking are common side effects of losing too much bone.
Types of Bone Grafting
No matter why you need a bone graft, there are several types of grafts that you can get depending on your level of bone loss. The type of graft you require will also be dependent on the conditions in your mouth.
Whether block grafting or particulate grafting, Delaware Periodontics will help determine which is the most predictable for your case. Socket grafting can be used to help prevent bone loss or rebuild the bone damage associated with an extraction. This can and is often done to prevent more invasive types of grafting.
There are 4 options of material used in grafting. The first is your own bone. This can be from a local site or from another part of the mouth. The second is bone from a bone bank. This is safe and predictable alternative that can be less invasive. The third is using your own tooth. Delaware Periodontics is the only practice in Delaware using this technology of autologous dentin grinding as a bone graft material. The last option is recombinant growth factor called Infuse. This allows us to grow bone without harvesting bone or using substitutes.
The Aftermath
Most bone graft surgeries can be done in around two hours. Once the procedure is complete, then there might be some pain and swelling. The swelling can be reduced with ice and will be something you need to manage during recovery. A pain reliever might be subscribed if needed for more comfort.
You will also be limited to a liquid diet while recovering, and you will also need to keep your head elevated to avoid more swelling. Once the swelling goes down, you will be able to return to everyday life and let your mouth recover.
If you need a bone graft procedure, our doctor at Delaware Periodontics at 302-551-3553 can help you figure out what type of procedure you need to repair your mouth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is bone grafting?
Bone grafting involves making an incision in your gum where we will insert the graft. We will then insert the bone graft and reshape it to mold to the area. This graft is held in place with pins, plates, wires, cables, screws, or a combination of multiple tools. Once the graft is secure, our periodontist will suture the incision closed and place bandages over the wound.
Why might I need a bone graft?
There are two main reasons why patients will experience jawbone loss. First, you may need to have a tooth extracted because of gum disease, injury, or another medical condition. Without the tooth in its natural place, your body is unable to maintain the structure. Second, gum disease can directly attack the jawbone in its later stages. Even if you have not had a tooth extracted yet, you could still begin experiencing bone loss due to gum disease.
Bone grafts can be used to rebuild or augment the ridge of the jawbone, restoring its height and width to facilitate the placement of dental implants or improve the aesthetics of the smile. In cases where the maxillary sinus is enlarged or located close to the upper jaw, bone grafts may be required to augment the bone beneath the sinus floor. This procedure, known as a sinus lift or sinus augmentation, creates additional bone height in the posterior maxilla, enabling the placement of dental implants in the upper jaw. After tooth extraction, bone grafts can be placed within the empty socket to preserve the bone structure and prevent excessive bone loss.
How is a bone graft performed?
A bone graft is a surgical procedure in which bone tissue is transplanted from one area of the body (autograft) or from a donor (allograft or xenograft) to another area, typically to repair or augment bone that has been damaged, lost, or is deficient in some way.
Is bone grafting painful?
Bone graft procedures use general anesthesia to put the patient into a deep sleep so they do not feel any discomfort or pain. However, the pain-neutralizing effects will likely wear off within hours after the procedure. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories or doctor-prescribed painkillers can help manage any pain felt after the procedure.
How long does it take to recover from a bone graft?
You will also receive after-care instructions from us. The recovery time from a bone graft can vary depending on several factors, including the type of graft performed, the extent of the procedure, and individual healing factors. In general, recovery from a bone graft typically takes several months for the new bone to integrate and heal sufficiently for further dental procedures, such as dental implant placement. |
