Bone Grafting a Boon to Dental Implants

To understand the procedure of Dental Implants, we need to know what Bone Grafting is and how it helps in successful implantation of the teeth. So if you are missing a tooth or two, the implant is almost inevitable. It looks and functions almost like a regular tooth. Therefore, a successful implant is almost undetectable.

An implant can be executed in two ways. First, a metal cylindrical object is placed on the jaw bone which functions as a root of the too. In the second case, an Abutment is screwed in the jawbone to which a crown is attached which makes it look like a tooth. This procedure is necessary if you have a missing tooth.

An implant can be done independently only if you have a strong and thick jawbone. Else if your jawbone is too thin or soft and cannot carry the burden of an implant, then your dental surgeon will recommend you for a graft before an implant.

What is Bone Grafting?

It is a procedure where the surgeon takes a section of bone from the other area of the patients’ body or as is prevalent these days, uses an artificial bone and grafts it into the patients’ jaw bone. However, it is a lengthy procedure as the grafting takes several months before it creates a strong bone ready for a stable and secured implant. Once the bone graft is complete, the jaw is ready for the next implant surgery. In some cases, a minor grafting can also be conducted at the same time as the implant surgery.

However, grafting is also done to maintain the jaw structure after tooth extraction.

Types of Bone Grafts:

• Autogenous Bone Grafts: In this procedure, a bone is removed from within the patient’s body and transplanted into the mouth. If a minor bone, it can be taken from the mouth itself and placed in the desired position. But if the bone is not in good condition or a long bone is required then it can be taken from the hip, rib or the shin.
• Allograft: In this procedure, a synthetic or artificial bone is used to conduct the grafting. This is a more prevalent type in these days. However, in this, a bone from a deceased donor or a cadaver can also be used to conduct the same, provided that the bone has been safely preserved in a tissue bank.
• Xenograft: In this method, cow’s bone is used for grafting and thus no secondary donor is required. Though it is a safe procedure yet not many people opt for this method and therefore it is the least prevalent type of grafting.

Thus to retain a natural smile and to prevent oral health issues, Restorative Dental Treatments are imperative. It helps in maintaining the mouth in perfect condition for which various treatments can be used by the dentist like fillings, crowns, bridges, full or partial dentures or dental implants, depending on the need of the patient. Its sole goal is to preserve the natural teeth as much as possible. Replacing the missing teeth with any of the methods not only promotes dental health but also exercises less stress on the remaining natural teeth. By filling up the empty spaces in the mouth, the dentists’ bar the cavities from accumulating in the gaps created and thus leading to bacterial infection in the gum or the mouth.

Dental Restoration can be conducted in two simple ways.

• Direct: In this restoration process, a filling can be placed in the affected tooth cavity area in a single sitting, depending on your dental conditions. This method can be used only after examining the location of the filling as these are not reliable under heavy pressure caused by chewing.
• Indirect: As the name suggests, a customized replacement is provided for the tooth in the form of crowns, inlays or onlays.

And in spite of all the complications, once the doctor decides the best restorative procedure, you can look forward to a brand new smile.