Preparing Your Jaw for a Dental Implant
What Is Bone Grafting?
An implant needs enough healthy bone around it to hold it in place. After tooth loss, gum disease, or an injury, the jawbone in an area can become too thin or too short. A bone graft adds bone where it’s missing, to help prepare the area for an implant.
During the procedure, graft material is placed where bone is needed. The material may come from your own body, a tissue bank (human or animal source), or a lab-made substitute. It acts as a scaffold that your body’s own bone can gradually grow into. Depending on your case, a graft may be placed before your implant or at the same visit. If it’s placed first, it needs time to heal, and your plan will show what that looks like for you.
Not everyone needs a graft. Your 3D scan helps show how much bone you have and whether a graft is likely to be part of your plan. When a graft is needed, it’s done here in our office.
Benefits of Bone Grafting
Makes Room for an Implant
When bone is too thin or too short for an implant, a graft can build up the area so an implant may become an option.
Rebuilds Bone Where It’s Been Lost
A graft adds bone in areas where it has been lost, which can help restore the shape of the jaw where teeth are missing.
Part of Your Implant Plan
Grafting is planned together with your implant from the start, so you know why it’s recommended and how it fits into the steps ahead.
Why Trust St. Johns Smile Co?
We’ll explain why a graft is being recommended, using your 3D scan to show you the area in question. Grafting is done here in our office, as part of the same plan as your implant. You’ll know what the procedure involves, how to care for the area as it heals, and how it fits into your implant plan.
From your consultation through healing, we’re here to answer your questions. If you feel nervous about treatment, tell us. We offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and oral conscious sedation, and we’ll talk through whether either one is a good fit for your treatment.
Have questions about bone grafting or implants? Book a consultation with a 3D scan, or call (904) 807-5660.
