When you have lost bone from your jaw, we can often restore it by performing a surgical procedure called bone grafting. Bone grafting techniques and technology enable us to restore the health and strength of the bone that supports your teeth.
Why is bone grafting used?
The area from which the bone was lost, often called a bony defect, may be a result of periodontal disease, removal of a tooth, trauma, a cyst, or long-term tooth loss. Though your body cannot normally grow new bone on its own, with bone grafting, we can help your body replace lost or missing bone, fill in pockets of bone loss, and stimulate new bone and soft tissue growth.
The procedure
To place the bone graft, we begin by making sure the area is completely numb, and then we gently separate the gums from the bone or tooth. If a tooth is present in the grafting site, we use a process called root planning to remove all of the plaque or tartar from the root surfaces of the tooth. This ensures that the area is free from harmful bacteria.
We then sculpt the surrounding bone to the desired shape and place the grafting material into the bony defect. Sometimes, we take another step, called guided tissue regeneration. In this procedure, a special membrane is placed over the graft site to prevent unwanted tissue from growing into the graft site and to enhance normal bone growth.
After the graft is placed, your gums are repositioned over the graft site, and several sutures are placed.
Over the course of three to nine months, your body works to repair the grafted site, growing new soft tissue and bone. This new bone growth strengthens the area by connecting your existing bone with the bone material we placed during the procedure.
If you have any questions about bone grafting or would like a free consultation, contact us us at McGue Dental Care. We’ll be happy to take care of you.