Bone Grafting
Boost Your Candidacy for Implants With a Dental Bone Graft
If you do not qualify for dental implants due to tissue loss, bone grafting offers a way to restore your candidacy and rebuild your oral health. A dental bone graft can replace lost tissue and create a sturdy foundation for your implant-supported restoration. At Imagecare Dental in Plano, TX, we have a team of skilled, experienced dentists who can perform a range of oral surgery procedures, including grafts. With a variety of advanced technology and a comprehensive range of services, you can undergo your entire dental implant treatment in our office for added convenience and comfort.
What to Expect During Treatment
The specifics of your grafting procedure will depend on the type of graft you need. However, most dental bone grafts involve several steps:
- We will administer local anesthesia and sedation. At Imagecare Dental, we offer nitrous oxide, oral conscious, and intravenous (IV) sedation.
- Your surgeon will make a small incision above the area where the graft is needed.
- They will pack the area of tooth loss with grafting material.
- The incisions will be closed with sutures.
Over the next several months, the grafted tissue will fuse with your natural jawbone to create a sturdy base for your dental implants. Our team will monitor your healing and determine when you are ready for implant placement.
Why Do I Need a Graft?
When the teeth are in place, the roots constantly stimulate nerves in the jaw. This stimulation lets the brain know that a certain area of the jaw requires nutrients and other resources. When we lose teeth, however, the brain reroutes resources to other parts of the body and the bone that previously supported the tooth begins to deteriorate. Severe gum disease can contribute to further tissue loss.
As jaw tissue disappears, your facial features can start to sag, making you appear older. If enough bone is lost, replacing missing teeth becomes more complicated.
Typically, our doctors recommend a bone graft to:
- Preserve the Jaw: If you need an extraction, our doctors can place grafting material into the tooth socket to prevent jaw atrophy.
- Restore Implant Candidacy: Dental implants rely on surrounding bone tissue for support and stability. A graft can regenerate the bone you need to successfully receive implants.
- Prevent Tooth Loss: Losing too much bone in your jaw can threaten the stability of other teeth. A bone graft can help keep teeth in place.
The best way to determine if you need a dental bone graft is to schedule a consultation with our team.
Types of Bone Grafts We Offer
There are a variety of types of dental bone grafts. The right type for you will depend on the extent of your bone loss and your end goals. At Imagecare Dental, we offer:
- Sinus Lifts: If the bone that separates the roof of your mouth from the sinus cavities above are too thin for safe implant placement, our oral surgeons can gently raise your sinus floor. Once enough space has been created, we can place grafting material to build a strong foundation for implants.
- Socket Preservation: If you need to have a tooth removed but cannot receive the implant replacement immediately, there is sometimes a risk that the bone will deteriorate. To prevent this, we can perform a socket preservation graft at the time of your tooth extraction to maintain your ability to receive dental implants.
- Ridge Augmentation: This type of graft can restore the proper contours of your jawbone and gums after tooth loss.
More extensive tooth loss may require a block bone graft using tissue from the chin or the back of the jaw.
Rebuild Your Smile
Dental implants are the gold standard for modern tooth replacement. However, losing bone tissue can undermine your ability to qualify for this life-changing treatment. For more information about how a dental bone graft can restore your implant candidacy, contact our office online or call 972-618-5000 today.