For patients who do not have sufficient jawbone to support dental implants, Dr. Robert F. Berger can perform a bone grafting procedure to renew candidacy. Our team offers comprehensive dental implant services, and our Columbia, SC, and Elgin, SC, offices are equipped with advanced technology. This enables us to place grafting material more precisely, and monitor your progress throughout treatment. At Berger Dental Group, we are committed to providing personalized care, which is why we can use several different types of grafting material to meet our patients' varying needs. In preparation for implants, we can also perform a sinus lift on your upper dental arch to help ensure a successful dental implant procedure.
When Is Bone Grafting Necessary?
A strong jawbone is essential to the success of dental implants. However, when you are missing teeth, there is a good chance that you have suffered at least some degree of jaw recession. Normally, your tooth roots stimulate the jawbone when you chew. However, after tooth loss, the surrounding bone can start to shrink. If your dentist places implants without enough jawbone support, the posts can become weak or come out entirely. Further, if you receive implants on a recessed upper jaw, there may not be enough space between the bone and sinus membranes, and you could suffer from serious sinus complications.
At Berger Dental Group, we are committed to providing personalized care, which is why we can use several different types of grafting material to meet our patients' varying needs.
Thanks to bone grafting, jaw recession will not automatically disqualify you from receiving implants. During your consultation. your dentist can use computed tomography (CT) scans to capture 3-D images of your smile. With this information, we can locate any areas where your jaw has started to deteriorate. Sometimes, we can simply place the implants in stronger areas of your jaw, so you do not need a bone graft. If this is not possible, the CT scans will help us to plan a precise and personalized grafting surgery.
Types of Bone Grafting Materials
Dr. Berger may use one of several different grafting materials:
- Your own bone, often harvesting it from your chin, tibia, or hip
- Donor bone
- Animal bone
- A synthetic, biocompatible material
At your consultation, our team can review your dental needs to determine the right material for you.
The Procedure
To ensure your comfort throughout your procedure, we can administer a local anesthetic and provide deeper sedation if necessary. After harvesting or preparing donor tissue, your surgeon can create small incisions in your gums at the areas of bone recession. We can then position the new tissue over these areas, using small, screw-like posts to hold it in place. We may also place a special material in the socket to promote healing. Finally, we can close the incisions with sutures.
Healing after Bone Grafting
A complete recovery from a bone graft will usually take three to six months. This healing period will allow the new material to fuse with the overall structure of your jaw, becoming a permanent part of your smile. Although this process will take several months, inflammation should diminish within two weeks. Dr. Berger can provide detailed at-home care instructions to ensure a speedy recovery. In most cases, he will not perform implant surgery until your jaw has totally healed. However, in select instances, he can place implants on the same day as a bone grafting procedure.
Contact Berger Dental Group for an Evaluation
At our practice, we can perform advanced and precise bone grafting procedures to help patients achieve optimal oral health. To find out if a bone graft can restore your implant candidacy, contact us online or call us at (803) 205-2496.