Bone grafting, or the transplanting of bone tissue from one part of the jaw to create a regrowth-enabling scaffolding in a weaker area of the jaw, is a fairly common procedure at our Cincinnati practice. Dental bone grafts can help correct misaligned jawbones, allow more effective tooth replacement, and help maintain facial structure when numerous teeth have been lost.
They can be made from natural materials and are often paired with other treatments, like platelet-rich plasma injections, that help speed healing. With modern bone grafting, lost or deteriorated bone in your jaw can be restored naturally, using material from your own body. While we think of bones as hard and unchanging, your body is continually adding new bone cells and removing old ones.
What is a Dental Bone Graft Procedure?
It may sound a little gnarly, but jawbone grafts are actually fairly minor procedures as far as oral surgeries go. Most of the work is actually done by your own body after your oral surgeon has placed the graft at the side, the idea being that your body will use it as a framework to grow and fill in, creating healthier, stronger bone at the site.
There are four different sources for a dental bone graft:
- Autografts: made from your own bone
- Allografts: made from donor human bone
- Xenografts: made from animal bone, usually bovine
- Alloplasts: made from a biocompatible synthetic material
Processed bone harvested from cows (Xenografts) is quite common in many bone graft procedures, but don’t worry. These grafts are only the lab-sterilized mineral content of natural bone, with all the organic content removed.
At our practice, we use the Smart Dentin grinder, which takes material from your teeth and processes it into a bone graft right here in the office. This holistic method of grafting the jawbone boasts faster healing time and higher success rates.
Grafting itself is a minor surgical procedure done in our Wilmington office under local anesthesia. An incision is made in your gum to gain access to the bone, then the grafting material is added before we close the wound with stitches. Before you go home, we’ll give you instructions on how to manage pain and prevent infection.
When You May Need Jawbone Grafting
Dental bone grafts are needed when the jawbone has deteriorated to a point where the structure and functions of your mouth and face are being affected. Here are the five main situations when we might recommend a bone graft:
- When gum disease has led to bone loss. When severe periodontal disease causes bone loss, teeth can become loose. To save them, the bone around them needs to be regenerated.
- When teeth have been lost. When you lose teeth, the bone that used to surround them becomes resorbed into the body. If you lose enough bone, your facial structure can collapse. Bone grafts can provide the support necessary to prevent this. Bone grafts for lost teeth can help an oral surgeon to perform a tooth replacement, which will also help preserve the structure of your jaw.
- When a tooth has been taken out. After a tooth is extracted, we put bone-grafting material into the socket. This not only helps maintain your facial structure and stops your mouth from shifting, but also keeps the bone healthy so an implant can be added later.
- When you need an implant. Dental Implants require good bone volume and density because they involve a post being embedded in the jawbone. If your jaw structure is okay but not healthy enough to properly anchor a dental implant, your oral surgeon will probably recommend a bone graft.
- When jaw surgery is required. Sometimes, when jaw realignment is needed to relieve TMJ, sleep apnea, chewing problems, or a protruding jaw or receding chin, extra bone must be added to the jaw via mouth surgery.
Risks Related to Dental Bone Grafts
All surgical procedures involve risks such as bleeding, infection, and reactions to anesthesia. Oral surgeries specifically entail even more risk of infection than usual since we have to expose the site to food and drink after the operation.
Here are some of the other risks of bone grafting:
- Swelling and inflammation
- Nerve injury
- Rejection of the graft
- Resorption of the graft
During your surgery prep, we’ll discuss these risks with you and show you how to minimize them. You’ll notice that some common surgical risks aren’t on the list – like necrosis from rejection, which can’t happen since the material used is biocompatible (at our Greater Cincinnati oral surgery, we use your own tooth material, after all).
However, some people may have a harder time healing from a jawbone graft, as well as lifestyle choices that may increase the likelihood of the graft failing to take:
- Heart conditions
- Arthritis
- Poor immune system/autoimmune conditions
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Tobacco use before, during, and/or after the grafting procedure
- Alcohol consumption in the first 2 weeks of healing
- Strenuous physical activity in the first 2 weeks of healing
- Eating hot/cold foods the first week of healing
Recovery from bone grafting can vary, depending on the exact type of surgery you’ve had, your age, health, and any of the above risk factors that apply. A healthy diet and avoiding smoking go a long way toward successful recovery from your bone grafting surgery.
Different Types of Jawbone Grafting
Generally, there are four types of bone grafts that oral surgeons perform:
- Periodontal bone graft: Advanced gum disease can eat away at your jawbone. These grafts are placed at sites of bone erosion to repair the damage caused by gum disease.
- Ridge augmentation: Jawbone grafts can reconstruct the jaw’s ridge in preparation for mouth restoration, such as dental implant surgery or denture fitting.
- Sinus lift: Your sinuses can prolapse if your upper back teeth have been missing for a while, allowing your jaw to become weak and shrunken. It would be dangerous to put a dental implant back there and risk puncturing the sinus membrane, so oral surgeons will use bone grafts to get the sinuses back to where they belong.
- Socket preservation: This type of dental graft is done directly after a tooth extraction. It fills the empty socket, which prevents jawbone loss and stops other teeth from moving towards the empty socket.
Despite being such a simple type of maxillofacial procedure, dental bone grafting proves a useful tool in oral reconstruction of all kinds, as it’s a holistic method for replacing lost bone in the mouth in a permanent way. And it’s nothing to be scared of, especially with the Smart Dentin method. It’s a real quick in-and-out procedure that can completely change what kind of tooth replacement is possible for a patient.
Affordable Bone Grafts in the Greater Cincinnati Area
The cost of bone grafting varies widely, depending on the problem being corrected, the size of the affected area, and the volume of bone needed. Before any decisions are made, we will discuss your procedure in depth and share a written treatment plan outlining the costs so that you and your dentist can stay informed.
We can even assist you in budgeting for the cost of treatment if it is not covered by your insurance. So, to explore whether bone grafting may be a solution for your dental problem, contact Wilmington Oral Surgery at your convenience.
