Dental Bone Grafting
What Is Dental Bone Grafting?
If you’re having an extraction, you might wonder what happens to the wide open space after the tooth is removed. The body will slowly fill in the hole left by the tooth roots with softer bone.
When talking to your dentist, you might be thinking about getting an implant to replace a tooth. To get the most predictable results, you will want to preserve the hardest and healthiest bone available.
This is where a bone graft comes in. At the time of your extraction, your dentist may ask if you’re considering an implant in the future. It’s important to place bone graft material in the extraction site to give your body the scaffolding to adhere to healthier bone.
Bone Grafting Procedure
Here at River’s Bend Family Dental, we use allogenic bone grafts. These are human-donated freeze-dried cadaver bones. They are FDA-approved, completely void of organic matter, and safe for transplant.
Yes, you can use your own bone as grafting material. However, that would require a second surgery site and extra healing, so we don’t offer that type of grafting in our office.
After your extraction, it’s as simple as hydrating the bone with saline and placing it in the site where your tooth was. A small absorbable cotton dressing may be placed over the graft with a suture. But it’s not always done or necessary.
River’s Bend Family Dental provides a wide range of dental procedures to make it convenient for your family to tend to all its dental needs.
Benefits of Dental Bone Grafting
- Creates a Protective Covering Over the Extraction Site
- Healthier Bone to Work With
- Better Implant Outcomes
Caring for Your Graft
Our biggest goal post-operatively after a bone graft procedure is to minimize infection and swelling in the area. If you are experiencing any fever, swelling, or intense pain from the graft site, contact our office immediately for follow-up.
Be sure to use ice packs, avoid touching the site, and avoid vigorous mouth rinsing. If any medications are prescribed, please take them as suggested.
It generally will take 7-10 days to feel back to normal. A softer diet will be necessary for a few days after the grafting. Slowly re-introduce harder and a normal diet as you feel more comfortable.
While you’re healing, continue with great oral hygiene practices like brushing and flossing throughout the rest of your mouth.
It takes a minimum of two to three months for the bone graft to completely heal before implant surgery can be performed.
Family Dentistry
At River’s Bend Family Dental, we create a comfortable environment to address the unique dental needs of your family.
Associated Costs
Every person’s situation and specific insurance plan is unique and different. And with most dental procedures, what and how much a procedure will be covered is ultimately determined by your specific policy and plan. With dental implants, many insurance plans cover dental implant procedures. Just be aware, from time to time, that we do find dental insurance policies that will not cover portions or all of the cost of dental implant procedures. If you do not currently have dental insurance coverage or have questions about payment options, always feel free to contact our knowledgeable staff. They are always happy to discuss possible options with you.