When a tooth can get damaged, there’s a chance that bone around the area will become unstable, leading to more problems in the future. To avoid these potential complications, dentists might recommend a bone graft dental procedure for patients whose jawbone has been weakened by tooth loss or injury.
A dental bone graft is a technique that increases the quantity of bone in your jaw where it has been lost or where extra support is needed. This treatment usually results in better chewing, speaking, or swallowing ability for those who experience pain-related symptoms.
The information here provides an overview of what a bone graft dental is and how it helps people who are missing teeth enjoy their smiles again. If you’re interested in learning more about the procedure, keep reading!
The History of Bone Grafting
Bone transplantation is a centuries-old technique that has been refined for nearly 300 years. Dr. Jacob van Meekeren performed the first documented bone transplant in 1668, a Dutchman. Galileo Galilei’s invention of the modern microscope (an invention created in 1609) and William Harvey’s discovery of blood circulation through capillaries in the body (a 1615 discovery) allowed for bone transplants. After these discoveries, Dr. Jacob van Meekeren developed a procedure to apply a bone graft.
What are The Different Types of Bone Grafts?
- Autograft Bone Grafting: This bone graft is often taken from the patient’s bone and returned to them.
- Allogenic Bone Grafting: This bone graft is taken from a donor and given to the patient. It can be obtained either through bone harvesting (removing bone for transplantation) or a tissue donation.
- Xenogeneic Bone Grafting: This bone graft is taken from a different species, such as bovine (cow), equine (horse), or porcine (pig). It is the most commonly used type of bone graft.
- Alloplast Bone Grafting: The bone is harvested from a bone bank through bone harvesting. It can be bone chips, bone blocks, or bone plates. The bone is placed into an area that has been weakened by disease or trauma in order to strengthen it. This type of bone grafting is most often used with jawbone fractures because replacing missing pieces with alloplastic bone stimulates the jawbone to regenerate more bone tissue over time.
Bone Graft Dental Procedure
Anesthesia will be given before the procedure, and you will be continuously monitored. The dental technician will clean the afflicted region. Your surgeon will cut your gum to separate it from the bone where the transplant will take place. The surgeon will construct a new joint using bone material between two fractured bones. Dissolvable adhesive, membrane, or specific screws are used to secure the bone transplant. Your surgeon makes an incision that is then closed up after bone reconstruction to begin healing. The bone grafting procedure is usually done in the dentist’s office.
The bone graft site is then rinsed with a sterile saline solution to remove any debris. Sutures are used to close the wound, and a bandage is applied to keep the area clean and protected. The process of bone grafting is relatively simple, and it is a standard procedure used to repair bone fractures and stimulate bone regeneration. Bone grafting is a simple and surgery for replacing lost teeth or repairing teeth that have been damaged.
Bone graft dental procedures are most commonly used to replace missing teeth. They can also reconstruct teeth with significant gaps for chewing or aesthetic reasons and repair severely decayed or traumatized teeth. Bone grafting involves removing the surrounding gum tissue to expose the jawbone where it’s needed most, then shaving off some of the bone so that new blood vessels can grow into it. Bone grafting is a common treatment for repairing fractures and promoting bone growth.
Is Dental Bone Grafting Painful?
Bone grafting is not typically a painful procedure. However, bone grafts taken from other parts of your body—such as your hip—may be more uncomfortable. The location where the bone transplant is removed from or added to can be numbed with local anesthetic. You will also likely be prescribed pain medication following surgery. Novocaine is a numbing agent used in bone grafting to make the experience more comfortable.
Dental bone grafting that doesn’t require removing patient tissue is a minor surgery. During the operation, you’ll be asleep, so you won’t feel any discomfort until the anesthesia wears off. After that, the pain is usually manageable with over-the-counter pain relievers for a few days. Prescription medicines for severe pain may also be needed.
Depending on how much work was done, you may feel discomfort for a few weeks during rehabilitation. However, when the operation is conducted in two areas, such as your hip and jaw, the recovery might be more difficult if bone material is harvested from your own body. The length of pain should be brief because the amount of bone extracted and grafted is generally small.
How Long Does it Take for a Dental Bone Graft to Heal?
The healing time for a bone graft dental varies depending on the individual and the severity of the bone graft. Most bone grafts will heal within 4-6 months, but some may take up to a year or more. It’s critical to prevent chewing on the bone graft site during the healing phase and to keep the region clean and clear of germs. You may also need to take antibiotics if you have a wound infection. Follow your dentist’s instructions for care during the healing process.
What Are The Side Effects of Dental Bone Grafts?
Pain and swelling are the most frequent adverse effects of dental bone grafts. However, with ice packs and over-the-counter pain relievers, these may be reduced to a minimum. Some may require prescription-strength medications. Other expected side effects include minor bleeding, soreness while chewing and talking, and difficulty doing so for the first few days. Despite the fact that this therapy is normally safe and effective, there are always hazards involved. Infection is a risk with any surgical procedure; therefore, it’s critical to finish the course of antibiotics. Blood clots, nerve damage, anesthetic issues, and bone transplant rejection are all infrequent possible side effects.
What Is The Success Rate of Dental Bone Grafts?
The survival rate of composite bone transplants is 99.6 percent, and the success rate is 66.06 percent. Allografts have a 90.9% survival rate and an 82.8 percent success rate. The dental bone grafts success rate depends on some factors, including the quality of bone available for grafting, the health of the recipient, and the type of graft used. However, in most cases, bone grafts successfully achieve their desired outcome. The success rate for autografts or bone grafts taken from the patient’s body is around 98 percent. Xenogeneic bone grafts success rate is about 90.9 percent.
How Much Does a Dental Bone Graft Cost?
The cost of dental bone graft will vary depending on the type of graft utilized and the general health of your jawbone. Still, a synthetic bone transplant may cost anywhere from $300 to $800. In contrast, a bone transplant using body-derived bone might cost upwards of $3,000 owing to the necessity for anesthesia and the surgical nature of the surgery. It’s also worth noting that having a dental implant placed comes with its own set of expenses.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Bone Grafting?
Because each dental insurance plan is different, you should contact your insurer to determine whether bone grafting is covered under your policy and, if so, how much it will be. Patients frequently schedule the bone grafting operation near the middle of the year because by then, enough new bone has regenerated for your benefits to renew in the new year when your implant may be placed.
If you do not have insurance and are not part of a dental discount plan, and are concerned about the cost of treatment, ask your clinic if they offer payment plans. Though not always the case, some clinics will allow their patients to pay a portion of the bill up front and make regular monthly payments until the balance is settled.
