Bone grafts are usually harvested from a patient’s own body.
Dental bone grafts are a healing process that can be performed to help replace teeth that have been lost or damaged. Bone grafting refers to the use of bone from either the patient’s body, a donor, or synthetic material to replace missing bone in order to promote healing and restore function. The type of material used for dental bone grafts will depend on what is available as well as other factors such as cost and source availability. Read on to find out more about the bone grafting process, and how we can help if you are missing one or more teeth…
What materials are used?
Today, dental bone grafting usually uses an autograft material. This is where the patient’s own tissue is used without being taken from another donor body or organ. In most cases, bone and tissue grafts are harvested from the patient’s own jaw, although in more complex and severe cases, tissue may be harvested from other areas of the body, such as the hip.
In addition to autografts, which are generally considered the gold standard for most types of dental bone grafting procedures, there are other materials that can be used as well. This includes allogenic grafted material, which is where bone tissue is obtained from a donor, and sometimes xenograft or synthetic material, which may be used to replace missing jawbone.
What does the process involve?
If you are a candidate for the bone grafting procedure, your dentist will begin by administering a local anaesthetic and the site of treatment will be thoroughly cleaned. An incision will be made in your gum and the bone material will be placed between the two areas of bone that need to fuse together. The bone graft is carefully secured in place and the incision is stitched closed. In most cases, the bone material is held in place with a membrane that acts as a barrier to protect your gums from infection.
In some instances, where there is extensive damage or loss of jawbone and other dental procedures such as implants are required at the same time, more than one session may be necessary to complete the treatment process.
How can we help?
If you’re looking for a solution to the loss of bone, there are three options available. The first is your own body’s natural ability to heal itself with time and without surgery. This process can take anywhere from six months or more depending on how much bone was lost originally. A second option would be a grafting procedure using either one’s own bones, artificial material such as metal prostheses, or donor tissue taken from another person’s body. Speak to your dentist about which type of grafting procedure suits you best so that they can help you decide what course of treatment will work best in order to restore function and stability in your mouth again.
At OMFS, we offer bone and soft tissue grafting procedures for patients who would like dental implants but do not have sufficient supporting bone and tissue. In some cases, we perform the grafting procedure prior to dental implant surgery, although the process can sometimes be completed at the same time. Most commonly, we harvest bone grafts from the patient’s jaw, but it is sometimes necessary to harvest bone from other areas of the body, such as the hip.
If you are interested in finding out more about bone and soft tissue grafting, what the process involves, and what you can expect from the recovery period, please consult our website here. Our team is highly experienced and will guide you through your treatment from start to finish.
To arrange an appointment, please get in touch here or give us a call on (03) 9347 3788. We look forward to welcoming you to our practice in Melbourne and helping to restore your smile.