Bone Grafting
For those who’ve lost natural bone tissue in their upper or lower jaw, bone grafting offers a powerful solution. Bone grafting is an area of specialty for Ron Nourian, DDS, at his Sherman Oaks, California, practice. If you’d like to learn more about whether bone grafting can help you reach your dental health goals like getting dental implants, call the office to set up a visit or book an appointment using the online scheduling tool.
BONE GRAFTING Q&A
What is bone grafting?
Bone grafting is a procedure that increases the volume of bone in a portion of your jaw. It’s a great treatment option for those who’ve experienced significant bone loss.
Numerous things can lead to bone loss. In some cases, one or more missing teeth causes bone resorption by eliminating the stimulation necessary to keep bone tissue healthy and strong.
In other cases, traumatic injury damages bone tissue. Even advanced dental decay or gum disease can lead to bone loss over time. Bone grafting is sometimes done after dental extractions to restore proper bone volume in that area of the jaw.
Without adequate bone tissue in your jaw, the connection between teeth and bone can weaken. That can cause your teeth to become loose or even fall out. Insufficient bone tissue also makes it impossible to properly anchor dental implants, so many people undergo bone grafting prior to moving forward with implants.
What materials does bone grafting use?
There are numerous options when it comes to the type of material for bone grafting procedures. Dr. Nourian discusses the available options and answers questions you have regarding the material and treatment process.
Some people choose to use autografts, which are tissues removed from bone in their body. Common areas for harvesting this bone tissue include the back portion of the lower jaw, the chin, or the hip or shin areas. This approach can require a short hospital stay to gather the necessary bone tissue.
A more common approach is to use bone tissue harvested from a human cadaver or an animal, like a cow. There are also synthetic bone grafting materials available.
What is the recovery process like after bone grafting?
It takes time for your body to adapt to the grafted material. Most people only experience mild discomfort for a few days after grafting, and it takes 1-2 weeks for the healing process to complete.
The internal process of fusing your existing bone to the grafted material can take 4-5 months. You won’t notice any changes as this process moves forward. If you are having grafting done to prepare for a dental implant, placement of the implant cannot occur before the full 4-5 months pass, as rushing the process can cause the implant to fail.
If you’d like to learn more about bone grafting, book a visit with Ron Nourian, DDS, online or over the phone today.
