Dental Bone Graft: What is it?

You’ve probably heard about dental implants before, and with due reason; dental implants are among the most common procedures in dentistry.

These implants are meant to replace the missing root portion of a tooth; then, a crown is placed on the implant, making it look like a real tooth.

Sometimes, the bone that is used to support the implant might be damaged, and your specialist might tell you that she/he will have to resort to dental bone grafting.

What’s dental bone grafting?

 Dental bone grafting is the process in which transplanted bone is used to replace damaged bone in order for it to grow back, or if the patient doesn’t have enough amounts of healthy bone in the area in which the implant needs to be set. This procedure is used in lots of different medical procedures, and it has great benefits in dentistry.

 A dental bone graft is usually performed on a patient whose jaw bone is not in the right shape for a dental implant to be done.

In this case, the bone grafting material is applied to the affected area to stimulate bone growth.

 However, it is not necessary to use organic bone most of the time; there are different types of bone grafting materials that can be used depending on the amount of damage that the patient has gone through, the state of the jawbone’s health, or the part of the mouth in which the bone needs to be fixed.

Types of bone grafting materials:

• Autografts: Uses bone tissue from the patient’s body. The patient’s tibia, hip, or jawbone are the bones that could be used, but it depends on the doctor that’s going to do the procedure.
• Allografts: Comes from a human donor, usually from a cadaver. The donor’s bone undergoes sterilizing treatments for it to not cause any immune reactions or host any diseases. However, infections or rejection by the body is usually pretty rare.
• Xenograft: Uses portions of animal bones. Equine bones are commonly used as they’re the ones that resemble human bones the most.
• Alloplasts: A material that is made using a natural mineral found in bones.
• Ceramic grafts: Made using ceramic materials or calcium.

Autografts are considered to be, by many, the standard type of bone grafting, as it’s the easiest and probably fastest method.

When is dental bone grafting necessary?

As it was mentioned before, dental bone grafting is necessary when the patient is lacking healthy, natural bone and it is impossible to make a dental implant in the desired area.

The lack of natural, healthy bone might be caused by different reasons which could be:

• If the patient has shown defects or issues with the development of healthy, natural bone.
• If the patient shows signs of having gone through any face injuries or trauma that have contributed to damaging that natural, healthy bone beyond repair.
• If an empty space remains after a few of the patient’s teeth have been removed (the tooth socket).

These could be just a few of the reasons why dental bone grafts might be necessary. If you’d like to know if you have to undergo this procedure, please ask your doctor. Your doctor will perform some tests and examinations on you before deciding what the best method of dental bone grafting for you is.

It is important to consider that the loss of bone might also result from losing a tooth. The bone that supports your tooth (alveolar bone) might start to atrophy if there is no tooth to hold, and could also lead to jawbone problems and loss.

Types of dental bone grafts:

Socket graft: This graft is placed in the missing tooth’s socket. It helps in the prevention of alveolar bone problems before they can occur. For this type of graft, human bone is used.

Lateral ridge preservation graft: This graft is used to increase the jawbone’s width to help to place a dental implant. For this type of graft, human bone is also used.

Block bone graft: This is used for the correction of large defects in the jawbone. A small block of bone is used for this bone graft; it’s held in place with small titanium screws.

Sinus lift procedure: This is used when a patient needs an implant in the upper jaw. Most of the time, equine bone is used for this type of graft.

Uses for bone grafts:

 There are different uses for dental bone grafting, not only implants. A few examples are:

• Preserving teeth: Teeth can become loose if the patient suffers from severe periodontal disease. This helps increase bone support and makes them stay in place.
• Tooth extractions: As was mentioned before, bone grafting is very common in tooth extractions; tooth loss can lead to severe alveolar bone atrophy, making the bone loss a possibility.
• Dental implants: Dental implants are probably the most common procedure for which dental bone grafts are used. Dental bone grafts assure the success rates of this procedure.

Facts about bone grafts:

It is important to take a few things into consideration if you have to get a bone graft.

-  Your doctor will let you know if you have to get a dental bone graft depending on the state of the part on which the dental implant is supposed to be set.

- The bone graft has to heal for a minimum of 4-6 months before an implant is set on the patient.

- The length of the procedure’s duration will vary on what needs to be done. Tooth extractions, dental implants, and crown installations will probably need a dental bone graft.

- This procedure relies on the use of general anesthesia; you’ll be sleeping through the whole process.

- Dental bone grafting is extremely safe and the risk of infection is highly unlikely. If you show any signs of pain, or discomfort or believe that you might have an infection, please refer to your doctor.

How much does bone graft cost?

You might be wondering what the full cost of dental bone grafting is.

The only way to know is by making an appointment with a doctor for him/her to give you a full list of services that will have to be done.

Here, in Sani Dental Group, we’re the best option for dental bone grafting and dental implants in Mexico. 

The prices for dental implants start at $750 dollars, and the prices for dental bone grafting start at $420 dollars per unit.

For further references regarding our price list, take a look at our price list. 

  If you’d like to make an appointment, request your date of visit or call (928) 257-1307.