Dental Bone Grafts and Why You May Need One

If bone grafting sounds like a complicated and scary procedure, rest assured it’s simple, safe, and one of our top oral surgical services at our Flushing, NY office. Chances are, you’re wondering about bone grafts because your dentist suggested you replace your missing tooth with a dental implant. And you’ve visited your oral surgeon who says you need to have a bone graft done first. Read on to learn about the common yet transformational procedure of bone grafting and how it lays the foundation for implant placement.

Why do I need a bone graft?

For those with insufficient jawbone mass and structure, bone grafting is done to bulk up the area and prepare it for implant placement. If we were to place an implant in a jaw that lacks adequate bone, there’s a high likelihood it would fail or have difficulty integrating with the jawbone. Osseointegration is the process in which the titanium metal of a dental implant fully fuses with the jawbone to ensure both stability and permanency. This takes place when the bone is a healthy size, large enough to support an implant.

Building Up Your Jawbone

Bone grafting is a standard procedure that over half of our dental implant patients have done before proceeding with implant surgery. These patients often require bone grafting for the following reasons:

• Missing teeth for an extended time—Your jawbone begins to atrophy the moment you lose a tooth or have one extracted.
• Trauma or infection—This can lead to a defect in the bone, resulting in its need to be built up.
• Missing front teeth—More than any others, front teeth have thin sockets and often can’t regenerate on their own.
• Large or low sinus cavities—We often graft bone with a sinus lift to help restore the bone height required for implant placement.

The Health of Your Jawbone

A jaw is like a body that needs exercise to stay healthy. Chewing provides the necessary stimulation that keeps a jaw strong, but without that movement, it begins to shrink as your body sends the minerals elsewhere. The alveolar bone that anchors your teeth begins to break down as soon as you lose a permanent tooth. Inadequate bone mass not only causes problems for implant placement, but can also lead to facial skin wrinkling, TMJ pain and headaches, nutrition and speech issues, collapsed facial structure, and complications with your remaining face.

How does bone grafting work?

Bone grafting is a very routine procedure that we do in our office every day. We place donated bone (or your own bone is taken from another site in your mouth) in the area that needs more mass. Your body will naturally grow new bone as your jaw heals during the several months following surgery, and the donated bone grafts will develop into your own bone over time.

Ready to get started?

Dr. Paul Chin-Fan Li and the rest of our skilled team at Flushing Oral Surgery offer the highest level of bone grafting and implant care. The latest technology combined with our passion for excellent patient care allows us to provide only the best bone grafting experiences. For more details on what it means for us to build a foundation for your dental implants with a bone graft, please give us a call! Flushing NY Office Phone Number 347-943-1960