Once you learn about the unique benefits that dental implants have to offer, you may want to have them placed as soon as possible to fill in the gaps in your smile. Before this can happen, however, you may need to undergo certain preliminary treatments, and bone grafting is a very common example. Below is a closer look at how bone grafting works and why it may be necessary to prepare your jaw for dental implant surgery.
How Does Bone Grafting Work?
Bone grafting is a procedure that can help repair a bone that has been damaged or has deteriorated over time. There are various types of bone grafts, but the procedure generally involves taking bone tissue from elsewhere in your body and applying it to the area where damage or deterioration has occurred. Over time, the transplanted tissue will fuse with the rest of the bone, thereby strengthening it and restoring lost bone density.
Why is Bone Grafting Often Necessary Before Dental Implant Surgery?
When your periodontist is examining your jaw to determine your candidacy for dental implants, they may find that there isn’t enough bone density in your jaw. This often happens as a direct result of tooth loss. Without the stimulation that your teeth normally provide, the now unused portions of the jawbone will start to be resorbed. If too much bone is lost, your jaw may be weakened to the point where it can no longer provide dental implant posts with the support they need.
With bone grafting, it’s possible to correct a lack of jawbone density. As such, even if you aren’t currently considered a candidate for dental implants, bone grafting could potentially make the procedure viable in your case.
Do You Need to Have Bone Grafting Performed?
This is not a question that you can answer on your own. You’ll need to schedule an initial dental implant consultation with your periodontist so that they can perform a thorough examination of your mouth and jawbone. Using state-of-the-art technology, they can measure the current bone density levels in your jaw. This information will help them determine whether bone grafting is truly required in your case.
Not every patient will need bone grafting, but in some situations, it could be a necessary step toward helping you reclaim a complete, functional smile that you can show off to the world with complete confidence.
About the Practice
At Handsman & Haddad Periodontics, we’re proud to be able to use sturdy, long-lasting dental implants to help our patients replace any number of teeth. We also offer various other periodontal services, including bone grafting for patients who have experienced bone loss in their jaws. If you’re interested in rebuilding your smile with dental implants, you can schedule your initial consultation at our office in Worcester by visiting our website or calling (508) 753-5444.
