Replacement teeth supported by dental implants function so well and last so long because, like natural teeth, they are securely anchored in the jawbone for maximum support.
If you are someone who needs dental implants and has been advised by your dentist to get bone grafting and wondering if it’s a good idea, you need to know it is a normal procedure. AND it is also normal for you to be scared. After all, bone grafting sounds scary indeed. Luckily for you, bone grafting is not a procedure you need to be scared of at all. It is a routine dental procedure that is both painless and predictable, but sometimes necessary to be done before your actual dental implants surgery is done.
What is Bone Grafting?
Dental implants have revolutionized dentistry in the 21st century. A dental implant is an artificial tooth root-like structure that is surgically inserted into the jaw bone so that it can hold a replacement tooth or bridge in place. Appearance-wise, Implants feel and look absolutely like natural teeth, and once the process is complete, they function exactly like your original teeth too. But sometimes, there is an insufficient amount of bone present in the jaw making it difficult to place an implant.
In such cases, a minor surgical procedure called a bone grafting procedure is done to regenerate new strong bone. This procedure helps to replace the lost bone and create new bone. These bone defects or bone deficiencies can be generally found in people who have been missing their teeth for a long time. Having adequately strong bone and a stable implant is critical for the long term success of your implants.
Who Needs Bone Grafting
Implant surgery involves the placement of a titanium post into the jaw bone by drilling it in. This post would hold the artificial tooth in place anchoring it to the jaw like a real tooth root. For the post to properly fuse with the jaw bone, the jaw bone must have sufficient bone volume and be stable. If the jawbone is not strong enough the forces acting on the jaw bone during chewing can cause damage to the implant.
This poses a risk of implant failure. This is where bone grafting comes into play which can help increase the strength of the supporting bone. This is generally observed in people who have lost their teeth a long time ago due to tooth decay, gum, or periodontal diseases or trauma. Sometimes people who get their teeth recently extracted may also experience bone loss.
Who We Are
At Coquitlam Dental Group, we want to give everything you might ever need to have a brand new smile. We have expertise and experience in esthetic treatment and implantology. We make sure that all our professionals have the highest level of accreditation and skills to deliver the latest and effective dental treatment to our patients. At Coquitlam Dental Care, nothing is more important to us than our patients being able to trust our dental services and knowing that you are receiving the best standard of care.
Why Choose Our Service
With almost twenty years of experience and nonstop continuing education, Dr. Kamaei and Dr. Katz are dedicated to offer and provide top of the line dental treatments with quality and excellence in almost all aspects of Dentistry. They are extremely skilled and have years of experience in Implant dentistry having performed these procedures on several happy patients. We believe that there should be no compromise on the quality of the services we provide our patients. We use the most advanced technologies to make sure that your concern is well-attended. With us, you can rest assured that you are in good hands.
How Bone Grafting Works
The bone grafting procedure is a simple outpatient procedure that your dentist performs under anesthesia.
Step 1: Anesthetics
Your dentist will administer anesthesia or sedation before starting the procedure so that the procedure can be done with minimal discomfort. The area is properly cleaned and a small incision placed in the gum region exposing the underlying bone, where bone grafting is required.
Step 2: Grafts
Now the bone graft material is placed in the area. There are many types of bone grafts available. Your dentist chooses the one according to your needs. This graft would act as a framework for the formation of new bone by the body’s physiological process.
Step 3: Final Touches
Some additional repairs might be needed to the surrounding tissue which will be done before closing the site of the incision. And you’re good to go.
The actual healing may take several weeks to months for the jawbone to regenerate before the dental implants can be placed. Several more weeks of healing are needed further after the implants are inserted before the final abutment and crown can be placed.
Post Bone Grafting
After the surgery, you might experience some typical discomfort, such as slight swelling of gum or skin or minor bleeding, but these are pretty common and go away quickly. Over the counter painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications prescribed by your doctor generally suffice, and you will feel normal in no time. Your dentist might also recommend some diet restrictions, such as consuming soft foods during healing. But you have to take meticulously good care of your oral hygiene after the procedure.
Benefits of Bone Grafting
The Bond Between Implants and Your Bone
Dental Implants can prevent bone loss after the extraction of teeth. Implants act just like a natural tooth root, bonding with your jaw bone (this process is called osseointegration), stimulating normal blood flow to the jaw ensuring that it stays strong and healthy. But for this to happen the implant first needs a strong base of support from the underlying bone as it will not properly osseointegrate with insufficient bone mass, volume, or width to hold an implant in place. Hence bone grafting helps the osseointegration process of the implants.
Extra Support
If the scans of your jaw show that your jawbone lacks sufficient width and height to support dental implants, bone grafting may be deemed necessary by your dentist. Bone grafts provide additional support for the sinuses and essentially promote bone growth in the sinus area when done in the upper jaw.
Why Deal With Us
At Coquitlam Dental Group, we believe that there should be no compromise with the quality of the services we provide to our patients. Our panel of doctors and staff with their years of experience in dental implants and expertise strives to provide you with the best treatment with minimal discomfort. We use the most cutting-edge technology and modern equipment to deliver quality treatment with utmost care towards our patients.
Our team derives great satisfaction from helping patients to regain their lost teeth and bring back the lovely smiles!
Final Words
Getting dental implants is a standard surgical procedure, but some patients may need bone grafting for dental implant placement to increase their longevity and success.
The staff at Coquitlam Dental Group have the expertise and knowledge to ensure that when you receive your dental implants and bone grafting procedure, it will be performed flawlessly and with the greatest of care.
For more information about bone grafting, contact us today at https://coquitlamdentalgroup.ca/.
You can also reach us at Phone: (604) 931-3133, Email: info@coquitlamdentalgroup.ca, or you can find our office at 655 North Rd #101, Coquitlam, BC V3J 1P5, Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Bone Grafting Procedure?
Bone grafting is a procedure that is required before implant surgery where there is insufficient bone to receive a dental implant. These bone defects can be found in people with teeth lost a long time back. So a minor outpatient surgical procedure is done to place bone graft material and enable the formation of new bone which would provide strength and support to the implant to be placed later.
Why Do I Need Bone Grafting?
Bone grafts are normally used to re-establish sufficient bone to place implants. Normally, a minimum of 2 mm of healthy, living bone is recommended to be present surrounding the implants. If your jawbone has some bone defects, or your bone has atrophied to less than the recommended 7 mm, a bone graft will be needed before implant surgery to gain sufficient support. Grafting a bone for bone replacement and growth would ensure the longevity and stability of dental implants for many years to come.
Are There Any Risks Associated With Bone Grafting?
Just like any surgical procedure, bone grafting also carries a small risk of infection and other complications. But, your dentist would take all necessary precautions to ensure you have the best chance of coming through the process without a hitch. It is also your responsibility to follow all post-surgical instructions given to you to protect yourself and ensure that you heal as quickly as possible.
What About Eating After the Bone Grafting Procedure?
Your dentist will provide you with all the necessary instructions related to diet, oral hygiene, brushing, etc, to be followed by the word. You might be advised to eat cold soft food like Chilled blended soups, smoothies, milkshakes, etc. or warm soft diet like Cooked cereals, pudding, etc. for a few days depending on the complexity of the procedure.
How Does Bone Grafting Work?
Bone grafting, sometimes referred to as GTR or guided tissue regeneration, allows our body to be fooled from a biochemical standpoint in a way that the body interprets the graft as a natural bone and enables healing and regeneration. The bone graft material acts as a scaffold and is reabsorbed into the body over time, where the body then replaces its native bone thus increasing the bone mass, volume, and width.