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Eagle Family Smiles is a dental clinic located in Chester Springs that offers comprehensive dental care services including dental implants, regenerative surgery, and bone grafting. Bone grafting is a surgical procedure used to rebuild the bone and supporting tissues that are lost due to periodontitis or tooth loss.
Bone grafting is a procedure that involves transplanting bone tissue or bone-like materials to repair and regenerate bone that has been damaged due to injury or disease. Bone grafting can also be used to support dental implants or reconstructive surgeries where there is insufficient natural bone. The transplanted bone can come from the patient’s own body (autograft), a donor (allograft), or a synthetic material. The procedure is often performed in conjunction with extractions to preserve bone or to rebuild bone in order to place implants.
Periodontitis can lead to bone loss around teeth, which may require extraction. To avoid extractions, our dentist may recommend regrowing the lost bone with a graft. The main aim of bone grafting is to encourage the body to rebuild the bone and other structures that attach the tooth to the jaw. The procedure involves separating the gums from the teeth, cleaning the roots thoroughly, and filling the holes in the bone with a bone graft material usually consisting of the patient’s own bone or bone graft materials derived from animals, cadavers, or synthetic materials. After completion of the process, the gums are put back in place, and the grafted material is encouraged to grow over the next few months to fill in the lost bone and soft tissue.
Missing teeth can lead to bone loss at the site of the gap, leading to several other problems like pain, issues with remaining teeth, and altered facial appearance. The alveolar bone, which anchors the teeth into the mouth, no longer receives the necessary stimulation it needs to maintain bone health through activities like chewing and biting, causing it to resorb and deteriorate. This ultimately leads to difficulties in speaking and eating.
Jaw bone loss and deterioration may happen due to varied reasons that are needed to be addressed with a proper treatment like bone grafting procedure.
If tooth extractions are not followed by replacement, they can lead to the deterioration of the jaw bone. Our natural teeth are firmly rooted in the jaw bone and contribute to its health through activities like chewing and biting. However, when teeth are absent, the alveolar bone, which secures the teeth in the mouth, loses the essential stimulation it requires. Consequently, the bone starts to deteriorate and undergo resorption. Since the body no longer utilizes or requires the jaw bone, it gradually deteriorates and diminishes.
Periodontal disease, which is an ongoing infection of the gums, gradually destroys the support of natural teeth, leading to bone loss. Lastly, unanchored dentures placed on top of the gum line may cause the bone to resorb and deteriorate over time due to lack of stimulation.
Socket preservation is a dental procedure that helps to preserve the bone and minimize bone loss after tooth extraction. The tooth’s socket is filled with bone or bone substitute, and then covered with gum, artificial membrane or tissue that encourages your body’s natural ability to repair the socket. This allows the socket to heal, eliminating shrinkage and collapse of the surrounding gum and facial tissues. The procedure also provides a foundation for an implant to replace the extracted tooth.
A frequently performed bone grafting procedure known as a sinus lift is used to address bone loss in the upper jaw. Its purpose is to stimulate bone growth in the maxillary sinus floor, located above the gum line’s bony ridge that supports the upper jaw’s teeth. This growth enables the successful placement and stability of dental implants within the newly formed bone structure.
Additionally, ridge augmentation serves as another application of bone grafting. Its objective is to restore the natural shape of the gums and jaw following tooth loss. This procedure involves the use of bone and tissue grafting techniques to fill in the depressed area of the jaw and gums, recreating their original contours.
Lastly, nerve repositioning is a dental procedure that involves moving the inferior alveolar nerve, which gives feeling to the lower lip and chin, in order to make room for the placement of dental implants in the lower jaw. This procedure is limited to the lower jaw and may be indicated when teeth are missing in the area of the two back molars and/or second premolars.
Bone grafting is an essential procedure for preserving jaw bone health, which plays a crucial role in maintaining oral health and overall well-being. Eagle Family Smiles in Chester Springs provides comprehensive family dental care services, including regenerative surgery and dental implants, with Dr. Makani as the dentist. With proper dental care, repair, and refitting, one can maintain their oral health and preserve their jaw bone health.
There are four major types of bone grafts used in dental implant procedures – autogenous bone grafts, allogenic bone grafts, xenogenic, and alloplastic bone grafts. Autogenous bone grafts involve harvesting bone from another part of the patient’s body, while allogenic bone grafts use dead bone from a cadaver that serves as a framework for bone regeneration. Xenogenic bone grafts are derived from non-living bone of another species, usually a cow. Alloplastic bone grafts are synthetic bone graft materials made of biocompatible substances such as calcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, or bioactive glass. While all these types of bone grafts have advantages and disadvantages, the choice of graft material largely depends on the patient’s medical condition, the size of the defect, and the dentist’s preference.
The healing time for bone grafting can vary depending on the extent of the procedure and the location of the graft. It typically takes several months for the graft to integrate fully with the existing bone, and during this time, patients may need to avoid putting weight or pressure on the affected area. The healing process can be accelerated with proper care and adherence to post-operative instructions, such as avoiding smoking and following a nutritious diet.
Like any surgical procedure, bone grafting carries some risks. These can include infection, bleeding, nerve damage, and rejection of the graft. Patients may also experience pain, swelling, and bruising in the affected area, which can be managed with pain medication and rest. It’s essential to discuss the potential risks and benefits of bone grafting with a qualified healthcare professional and to follow all pre-and post-operative instructions carefully to minimize the risk of complications.