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When Bone Grafting is Necessary

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Charleston Oral and Facial Surgery
When Bone Grafting is Necessary

Dental implant candidates often have questions about the necessity of a bone graft. When a patient has lost enough jaw bone that a dental implant would not be successful, a bone graft is performed. Bone loss can occur for many different reasons, including trauma, tooth decay, tooth extraction, and others. Bone grafting and dental implants are a reliable, permanent remedy to tooth loss, regardless of the cause. This article will discuss bone grafting when it is necessary, and the benefits it can provide.

 

Roots of Bone Deterioration or Loss


When left untreated, gum disease can cause not only tooth and gum loss but also jaw bone loss. Poor dental hygiene is the root cause of periodontitis or gum disease. It leads to a bacterial infection, which then attacks the jawbone and weakens its ability to support the teeth and gums. Plaque generates poisons that invade gum and bone tissue. The poisons eat away at the jawbone and the bone that holds teeth in place, eventually causing the teeth to fall out.


Bone loss can also occur if a missing tooth is not replaced. Chewing and biting are two of the many ways in which your teeth exercise your jawbone. Without this constant contact with the tooth, the jawbone begins to weaken and degrade. Bone loss, and how quickly it happens, will vary from person to person. After a tooth is extracted, the patient will have a bone loss for the course of their lifetime, although it will be most rapid in the first 18 months. Fortunately, bone grafting in Charleston performed soon after tooth extraction can prevent further bone loss in the jaw.

 

Bone Grafting Technique


We perform bone grafting right here in our dental office, and it's a relatively minor surgical procedure. The grafting material is placed in the space between the gum and the underlying bone after an incision has been made in the gum. The graft itself is made of synthetic bone, but your body will naturally deposit new bone cells around the mineralized bone.


Personal body parts can be used as grafts, but this is a highly risky and complicated procedure that has fallen out of favor. The bone is typically obtained from a cow, pig, or human donor. The bone has undergone sterilization procedures in a lab so that it can be used without worry. Synthetic materials are an option, but human-donor bone has the highest success rate. Bone will grow into the graft, which is typically covered in a collagen membrane for optimum bone repair.

 

What Benefits Bone Grafting Offers


A bone graft not only provides the dental implant with a sturdy foundation, but it also encourages new bone to form in the jaw. It is likely that the implant surgery will fail if the jawbone is not strong enough to hold the implant. The bone transplant will make sure that our jaws can withstand the tremendous force applied to them every time we chew, preventing the implant from deteriorating.

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