BONE GRAFTS SPECIALIST

Bone Grafts Q&A

What is a bone graft?

Bones are living organisms that are constantly regenerating. But bones are also susceptible to deterioration. Bone grafts are dental procedures that your Infinity Dental Group dentist performs to help your jaw generate and regrow lost bone tissue.

The two most common conditions leading to jawbone tissue loss include:

Gum disease

Periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease, may cause plaque and tartar toxins to travel past your teeth and gums and into your jawbone.The toxins infect the bone and cause it to deteriorate.

Missing teeth

Roots of teeth provide stimulation to the jawbone. But when you’re missing a tooth, there is no root to stimulate the bone. The jawbone atrophies the same way unused muscles of the body become weak and waste away when not used.

Is a dental bone graft painful?

Bone grafts are performed on-site at Infinity Dental Group and are not painful. Your dentist applies a local anesthetic to numb your mouth where the graft takes place to ensure you remain comfortable throughout the procedure.

Once numb, a small incision in the gums is made to give the dentist access to the jawbone underneath. The dentist inserts the bone grafting material and closes the incision with stitches. Your body begins rebuilding new bone tissue around the grafting material over the next few months.

Why might I need a bone graft?

Infinity Dental Group suggests a bone graft to treat gum disease, after tooth extractions, or to support dental implants.

Bone grafts for gum disease

If excessive gum disease (periodontitis) eroded the tissues in your jawbone, Infinity Dental Group uses bone grafts to help your body regrow the lost bone material. Tooth loss is a side effect of periodontitis, but bone grafts reinforce the bone support and help prevent your teeth from falling out.

Bone grafts after tooth extractions

If you need one or more teeth extracted, a bone graft can help keep your jawbone strong and prevent deterioration. Bone grafts after extractions are likely necessary if you hope to get dental implants in the future.

Bone grafts to support implants

A dental implant is the best way to replace a missing tooth, but it requires a strong, healthy jawbone to support the implant. Infinity Dental Group recommends bone grafts as part of the dental implant process to ensure a successful implant procedure. If you hope to get implants, need teeth pulled, or have periodontitis, contact Infinity Dental Group today by phone or by using the convenient online scheduling tool for a bone graft consultation.