Role of Bone Grafting in Dental Implants
Tooth removal can happen due to any reason and the space created in the jawbone by tooth removal deteriorates that area of jawbone structure. It gradually worsens the condition of the jawbone which can be prevented by replacing the missing tooth by artificial tooth implant; also known as dental implant. This is one of the effective methods to stop jawbone deterioration.
Jawbone deterioration varies from patient to patient and how long an individual takes to get it fixed. It is considered that as soon as tooth is removed/lost, dental implant procedure should be started before the jawbone starts deteriorating. Because longer you take, chances of jawbone deterioration increase proportionally. Space created after the dental loss will lead to weakening of the jawbone root cavity. Therefore, dental implant should be done before the blood vessels around the root cavity start dying.
With technical advancements in dentistry, there is a procedure that can prevent deterioration of the jawbone. It is called as Bone Grafting. Bone Grafting is playing a vital role in Dental Implants. It helps those patients who, unfortunately, could not get their missing tooth fixed by rebuilding the jawbone and preparing it to stage where dental implant can be successfully and securely performed.
WORKING OF BONE GRAFTING
The need of Bone Grafting arises from the fact that if your jawbone is too weak to support a dental implant procedure. Dentists always make sure that whether jawbones are healthy and strong to bear with any surgery. That is why dentists look for Bone Grafting by replacing the missing bone with other bone sources which can be natural or synthetic.
The procedure involves surgery of bone implant so it can be painful. Therefore, dentists will use sedation dentistry method to give anesthesia to make you fall asleep. The dentists will make incision in your gum region where tooth is missing and then they commence preparing the area where bone grafting can be performed. The specialists who perform this surgery are called as oral surgeons.
As soon as the oral surgeon prepares the effected region of the jawbone then bone source material will be placed into that area which is then it will be screwed and locked. The grafted bone will send signals to the body that it is a real bone and the body will start accepting it and hence making it strong base for dental implants. During healing it will fuse with surrounding jawbone.
Estimated time frame for proper healing and the synthetic bone material to associate well with the surrounding jawbone region is somewhere between 4 and 7 months. When the oral surgeon confirms the readiness of the jawbone for dental implantation then the dentists will proceed to with placing the required dental implants.
SOUCRING MATERIALS FOR BONE GRAFTING
Bone grafting procedure can utilise bone which can be sourced from your own bone, bone from human cadaver, synthetic bone and bovine bone.
When getting a bone graft operation for dental implants, there are several source materials that can be used to replenish the jawbone. These materials include your own bone, bone from a human cadaver, bovine bone and synthetic bone material.
- Taking bone from your body
Using bone from your own body does not only sound good but guarantees natural bone grafting. Since, it is taken from your own body there is least risky that the operated region to get infected. Moreover your body will not reject the grafted material.
Harvested Bone will usually be taken either from your shin, hip or chins. Later it will be removed in the form of tiny chunks that should fit perfectly into the area of the jawbone that needs it.
The main problem with using bone harvested from your bone is that the grafting procedure will include two surgical procedures. One is the harvesting of bone and the other one its placement into the jawbone. Therefore, it is takes longer to heal and costs you more because of the complexity of the procedure.
- Human Cadaver Bone
Human cadaver bone is also very popular amongst bone grafters. The bone is harvested from a human cadaver. It will rarely be rejected by your body same as in the case of bone harvesting from your own body. Its main advantage over bone harvested from your own body is that it eliminates one surgical procedure and hence making it much more cost effective.
- Bovine bone material
Bovine bone is basically cow’s bone and using bone from deceased cow is also considered a great option for bone grafting for dental implantation. The bone sourced from deceased cow is adequately sterlised before grafting it into your jaw bone. It minimises the risk of infection. This source of bone material has been proven to be significantly effective in the integration of grafted bone with the surrounding jawbone.
It is exceptionally effective and light on your pocket, and hence is a quiet popular method of bone grafting.
- Synthetic bone material
Synthetic bones are made from natural and biocompatible materials like minerals, synthetic bone materials and so on. They can be utilised in bone grafting surgery. These materials are introduced after intense research and are considered as safe as using natural bone materials. Since it is a foreign body, there is a risk of your body rejecting it.
Feel free to contact Lincoln Dental at (03) 9850 1713 to discuss it further!