QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT BONE GRAFTING

Question: Why is it important to preserve bone and surrounding gum tissue?

Answer: If you lose bone and gum tissue following your tooth extraction this often will result in both functional and cosmetic defects. Loss of this tissue often gives you a less than ideal and collapsed appearance, especially if it involves front teeth. Furthermore, loss of bone and gum tissue often compromises our ability to adequately replace the missing tooth or teeth with either conventional fixed or removable bridgework or with an implant supported solution. Sometimes the loss of bone is so severe that a separate grafting or sinus lift procedure is necessary prior to replacing the missing teeth.

Question: Do I need socket preservation/ridge preservation?

Answer: It all depends on what your future plans for replacement of your teeth are. It is an additional cost but we can show you pictures of patients that choose ridge preservation and patients that didn’t – the difference is remarkable. Often, opting in for these procedures will allow you to avoid an even more costly separate bone grafting procedure in the future.

Question: Are bone grafting materials safe?

Answer: Bone graft materials are highly purified and go through a highly controlled processing and sterilization procedure to remove any impurities. At the end of this process, every batch has to pass rigorous testing for purity and sterility.

Question: How long does it take for new bone for form around the bone graft?

Answer: We always provide individualized care and we choose the type of bone graft based on your unique situation. Some of these heal faster than others, but in general about 2-4 months of healing time is required.

Question: What special care following bone grafting or socket preservation is required?

Answer: Generally the same care required after any dental surgery procedure is sufficient following tooth extraction and socket preservation. Keep the area clean using a prescribed mouth rinse. Avoid undue pressure over the graft size during healing.