Reasons To Consider Dental Bone Grafting
If you’ve been exploring the option of a dental implant in Richmond then you may have been told that you need a bone graft. Typically a bone graft is used to restore the bone that may have been lost to gum disease, trauma, or tooth loss. It can also be used to maintain bone structure once a person has had a tooth extracted.
Maintaining the jawbone structure is important, especially for the dental implant procedure which relies on dense, healthy jawbone material for optimal results. The jaw and other facial bones also support the muscles and skin which provide our outward appearance and without the support of underlying bone, the face can age prematurely.
About bone grafting
The body maintains itself using specialist cells in the blood which enter your tissue, remove damaged cells, and replace them with healthy new cells. The grafting procedure places a small amount of bone matter or synthetic bone into the area that is lacking bone in order that the cells can enter it and start the rebuilding process. Over time, the cells reform the grafting material into your own bone.
Where does the bone grafting material come from?
The bone grafting material can come from a number of different sources. Autograft material refers to bone which is taken from the patient themselves, often from the chin or depending on the amount of bone needed, the hip. It is then transplanted to the site. This is often a preferred choice because since the bone contains the patient’s own cells, there is less risk of disease being transmitted. The downside is that it requires a second surgical procedure and the patient may not have sufficient bone to harvest. In this case donor bone is normally used which is carefully processed to ensure it’s safe. The advantage of this method is that bone is already readily available and doesn’t require a second surgical site.
The bone grafting surgery is minimally invasive and is carried out using a local anaesthetic to numb the area. Typically a slit is made into the gums to expose the area around the missing tooth that needs building up. The bone material is then placed and covered with a thin membrane to protect it. The gums are stitched back together and the area left to heal. It can take up to 9 months in some patients for new bone to grow and provide a solid base into which to place the dental implant. If you only require minor bone grafting, then often it can be done at the same time as the implant surgery.
If you’d like to find out more about getting dental implants in Richmond then why not take advantage of our free implant consultation where you can meet Dr. Harmit Kalsi and the team and get your questions answered. Call us today on 020 8876 5277 or contact us online at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk.