
Apr
Not everyone who wants dental implants qualify for this treatment. Implant surgery requires that you have sufficient jawbone mass to support the implants. If you’ve experienced bone loss due to gum disease or bone atrophy after losing teeth, you may need a bone grafting procedure to build up your jawbone before proceeding with implant treatment. At Creo Dentistry, Marysville, Washington, we offer dental bone grafting to facilitate dental implant surgery.
For implants to work properly, they must fuse with your jawbone to create a firm, stable foundation for your replacement teeth. The osseointegration process can’t be completed if your jawbone structure is thin or weak. Bone grafting adds volume or mass to your jaw so the implant can take root.
Dental bone grafting entails taking bone from a bone donor source and grafting it to the areas in your jaw where bone has been lost. The graft will facilitate new bone growth to rebuild your jaw to accommodate implants. Depending on the type of graft done, the process may take four to six months to complete before your jaw is ready for implants.
There are three main types of bone grafts for implants:
Socket grafts build bone density and strength in the empty socket where you lost your tooth to keep it from caving in. This graft is usually done immediately after a tooth is pulled.
Ridge augmentation grafts increase jawbone width and volume to replace bone that atrophied after losing natural teeth.
Sinus lift grafting replaces bone loss in the upper back part of your jaw. Bone is grafted under the sinus cavity to support the implant. This graft may take up to 12 months to heal before you can proceed with implant treatment.
For people with insufficient jawbone density for implant surgery, bone grafting can pave the way to receive dental implants and benefit from all this restoration has to offer to replace lost teeth.
To determine if you’re a candidate for dental bone grafting, contact Dr. Dan Hwang from Creo Dentistry, Marysville, WA, at (360) 502-7217.