Bone Graft For Dental Implants

Bone loss in teeth. Preparation for Dental Implants

Bone grafting for dental implants is required if there isn’t sufficient bone to support your new implant. A bone graft can be placed during a stand-alone procedure or simultaneously with your dental implant (immediate implant placement). The correct choice of bone grafting material is essential but not as important as choosing the best dental implant specialist, such as Dr. Navid Rahmani. He is a board-certified periodontist and one of the dentists specializing in bone grafts.

Bone Regeneration

When investigating dental implants, many people discover that they must first have a bone grafting procedure. Initially, it might seem a bit off-putting, but don’t let this deter you from having this excellent bone regeneration treatment.

Bone grafting in preparation for dental implants in NYC dental center is extremely common. This is because the implant posts must be inserted into a certain amount of healthy bone to ensure they will be held firmly in place while they gradually integrate with the bone during the osseointegration process.

Bone Graft might be required beforehand for most of the dental implants procedures, such as:

Assessment of the jawbone quality: One of the most important parts of your initial dental implant consultation is assessing your jawbone’s quality. It’s something that most people haven’t even considered, but when you think about it a little more closely, you’ll understand why it makes sense.

When Is Bone Grafting Necessary?

You may need a bone graft if you don’t have enough bone to support your dental implant properly. For a successful treatment, dental implants must be inserted into strong and healthy bone and surrounded by several millimeters of bone for the best support. Ensuring you have enough bone allows your dental implant to bond or fuse with the bone. This process is called Osseointegration, which begins after the implant is placed into your jaw.

During the Osseointegration process, your body produces new bone cells that adhere to the implant post’s surface, which may have been specially treated to encourage Osseointegration. Gradually, over several months, more bone is deposited onto the post and around it, so eventually, it becomes fused firmly in place. It’s a necessary process that must occur no matter your implant treatment.

There is nothing to worry about if you require a bone graft as this procedure is extremely safe, and Dr. Rahmani is highly experienced in the latest bone grafting techniques.

Why Don’t I Have Enough Bone?

You may not have enough bone to support a dental implant for several reasons, such as:

• Gum disease (Periodontitis). Often bone loss occurs because of dental diseases like gum disease. Gum disease is a bacterial infection that first destroys the gum around the tooth before gradually destroying the bone and ligaments that would normally hold the tooth in place so that gradually the tooth loosens and must be removed. Gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss and can cause significant damage to the jawbone.
• Trauma or genetic factors. Sometimes bone loss occurs because of trauma, or there may never have been enough bone to support an implant securely. A lack of bone is a frequent issue when restoring upper back teeth close to your sinus cavities, which are air-filled spaces. The bone here is usually thinner and not as strong and often needs building up with a special type of bone graft called a sinus augmentation.

In rare cases, you might need a bone graft to ensure your finished dental implants look more aesthetically pleasing, as the bone supports the gum around your implant teeth.

How Does My Dentist Know If I Haven’t Got Enough Bone?

A good periodontist or dental implant dentist conducts several diagnostic tests. One of the most important is a cone beam CT scan, a 3-D digital dental x-ray that provides a detailed image of your jaws and any remaining teeth.

The scan can be viewed from any angle by your implant dentist, who uses it to determine the exact quantity and quality of bone available for dental implants as well as implant planning and placement.

The Bone Grafting Procedure

A bone grafting procedure is very straightforward and routine and may be carried out as a stand-alone treatment or as part of your implant surgery.

Bone graft as as stand-alone procedure. If the bone graft is placed during a stand-alone procedure, the technique before placing it depends on the type of graft used. For example, a bone graft taken from somewhere else in your body will be a small block of bone that is then attached to the grafting site, possibly with small screws. Other times the grafting material is more granular and is packed into the bone graft site.

Bone graft during the implant surgery. When only a small amount of bone grafting material is needed, your implant dentist can place it simultaneously with your dental implant.

Bone graft after a tooth extraction. Another option is to place the bone grafting material while removing a failing tooth, using a socket preservation technique to preserve and protect the empty tooth socket. The dental implant may be placed simultaneously as the tooth is removed, or your implant dentist may choose to let the bone graft heal before placing the dental implant later. For example, if you need a bone graft for upper back teeth implants, your dentist will need to lift the membrane between your jawbone and the sinus cavity, which is why this is often called a sinus lift. Lifting the membrane creates a space that is then packed with bone grafting material.

If you need a bone graft, it isn’t a cause for concern and will ensure you get the best results from your implant treatment. Your implant dentist can tell you far more about the procedure required, the time needed for this treatment and what to expect after bone grafting and as the graft heals.

Where Does the Replacement Bone Come from?

There are several different types of bone grafting materials that can be used in our center.

Autogenous Bone Grafts

An autogenous bone graft, also known as an autograft, uses bone taken from another site in your body. Typical locations include the leg, hip, chin, or jaw. Although this does require an additional surgical procedure to harvest the bone, the risk of rejection or any other adverse reactions is eliminated.

Also, the harvested bone is live, which means it has certain cellular elements which will help enhance the production of new bone.

Xenografts

The bone used in a xenograft is usually bovine. It is processed at an extremely high temperature to avoid any risk of contamination and is extensively tested to make sure it is safe for use. A xenograft will provide a framework, enabling your bone to grow on and around the surrounding areas until there is sufficient bone for dental implants.

Allografts

An allograft uses highly processed bone taken from a donor and maybe freeze-dried, irradiated, or chemically treated to ensure its safety. It is extensively tested to eliminate the risk of contamination. Like a xenograft, the allogenic bone will provide a framework for your body to grow new bone cells, but it cannot produce new cells independently.

Both xenografts and allografts are advantageous because no additional surgery is required to harvest the bone from somewhere else in your body, so healing is faster.

Alloplast

An alloplast is a graft made from entirely synthetic materials. Artificial bone grafting materials are extremely sophisticated and contain a variety of different substances. They may have a combination of collagen, protein, and growth factors designed to help promote the formation of new bone cells and promote healing. This type of synthetic bone is highly reliable.

If you need a bone graft, your implant dentist can discuss all possible options for grafting materials with you, helping you make the best choice for your needs.

Recovering After a Bone Graft

With any form of oral surgery, it’s normal to experience:

• Numbness. It can take up to 6 hours for any anesthetic to wear off, so during this time, be very careful if you drink anything hot.
• Bruising and swelling. It may take up to a couple of days to appear.
• White particles. Some people find they have small white particles in their mouth for the first few days after surgery.
• Slight bleeding. It’s also perfectly normal to experience slight bleeding along with a feeling of pressure in the sinus or facial areas.

The initial recovery period After a bone graft could last up to two weeks.

Your dental implant dentist will provide you with detailed instructions on how to care for your mouth while your bone graft heals. Keeping the grafting site clean is critical, and you may be given antibiotics or a mouthwash. Your implant dentist can also prescribe pain relievers if necessary. You should also be advised on foods to eat during the healing process.

Usually, the bone graft will be fully integrated and strong enough for implant surgery between three and six months after this procedure. The timeframe varies from one person to another, so your implant dentist can give a more precise time about when you can expect to have your implant surgery.

If you have any questions about bone graft for dental implants or to make an appointment with Dr. Rahmani, please call our center:

NYC Dental Implants Center
121 East 60th St Ste 6C2
New York, New York 10065
(60th St. btw Park Ave / Lex Ave)
212-256-0000

Back to Top