What to Know About Bone Augmentation

Taking care of the teeth and gums is essential for a person’s long-term oral health, especially since neglecting one’s daily oral health care routine could lead to surprisingly severe consequences, such as losing teeth or developing gum disease. This can be a challenge for any age group, but older individuals are more likely to develop gum disease more than others, leading to many eventually requiring dental implants. However, some patients may require a bone augmentation procedure in order to receive dental implants.

When Do Patients Need Bone Augmentation?

Patients who do not have sufficient healthy, natural bone that can handle dental implants may benefit from bone augmentation—the rebuilding of bone. This procedure is meant to offer a solid structure where the implants can be fastened into the alveolar bone structure. This is usually done via grafts, which place bone graft material on the existing jaw bone to form new bone that can successfully hold implants.

For patients who have had gum disease or trauma/injury to the jaw or face, the bone could be compromised, thus possibly requiring augmentation. As well, individuals who have had dentures for a long time or had several teeth extracted may lack sufficient bone density levels for dental implants.

The Augmentation Process

Luckily, present-day bone grafting is not an invasive or painful procedure and can be done in an oral surgeon or periodontist’s office. In fact, patients can receive a tooth extraction and then a bone augmentation, which often allows them to heal quicker. However, for patients who have had missing teeth for a while, the procedure starts with an anesthetic for the area and then an incision into the gum tissue, exposing the jaw bone. The graft material is then attached to the exposed part of the bone, which has proteins and collagen that help with growth, at which point the gum tissue is sutured closed.

While the new bone is growing, the graft material is completely absorbed and replaced. This growth may take a couple weeks or even up to eight months, but it will depend on the existing bone’s condition and the scope of the bone graft. Once the gum tissue has healed, dental implants may be placed.

Grafting Material

Typically, the first choice for bone graft material is autograft, which is when the patient’s own bone is used for the procedure. The bone material can come from the hip, chin, or even the shin bone. Sometimes, dental specialists will take material from an area using sedation and local anesthesia, but if the hip bone is being used, general anesthesia in a hospital may be required.

Other options for bone material include allograft, which is when bone is taken from another person or a cadaver. The third is called xenograft—when bone is taken from an animal like a cow—and the fourth, alloplast, is a graft synthetically created in a lab. Once the bone is harvested, it’s disinfected carefully and then processed to make sure no diseases or bacteria pass to the grafting patient.

After Treatment

Once the bone augmentation procedure is complete, patients are given specific oral care directives, which are to be followed while the new bone regenerates and the tissue heals, which can take up to six or nine months. During this period, patients may be unable to wear dentures or eat particular foods, and they also may receive antibiotics for preventing infection and pain medicine for discomfort.

Treatments such as this can be very expensive and are rarely fully covered under your insurance plan, which is why you need to consider a New Hampshire discount dental plan like the Wellness Dental Plan. Find out how you can save as much as 20 percent off your next dental bill! For more information, click here.

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