A lot of the time, bone grafting is necessary prior to dental implant procedures. Patients generally do not think about their jawbone density, but the strength of the bone is a necessity prior to having implants placed. When you are going in for an implant consultation, your doctor will run tests on your jawbone to check for its strength. If your doctor decides your bone will not support an implant sufficiently, there are methods to fix this. Bone grafting is a procedure that can take place prior to your implant, which will add strength to your jaw bone. Bone grafting will add new bone in the lacking areas, and your new bone will unite with the existing jawbone.
Prior to undergoing bone grafting, there are decisions you have to make. There are different options available for the grafting procedure, so you will decide with the help of your dental team which option is the best for you.
Here are some of the options you will have to choose from:
- Different bone types might be used in preparing the dental implant bone. Autogenous (self-produced) bone comes from the person having the surgery and might be taken from the chin, or perhaps the hips.
- Block bone grafting is the process of cutting a piece of bone from another area of the body and implanting the area requiring the strong dental implant bone. It will need to be left for around three to six months before it will ready to take the teeth implant.
- Allograft bone comes from other human donors, usually cadavers. Again, there will be a long healing period before the bone is ready to take the new tooth.
If bone grafting is a procedure you will need to endure, your doctor and their skilled team will be able to guide you through any necessary information and choices. If you have any further questions or would like more details on bone grafting, contact your dental professional. They will be able to provide any necessary detail and can answer any questions.