Dental Bone Graft Healing Stages and Aftercare

Consider getting dental implants in Torrance, CA, if you have missing teeth. Dental implants may not resemble your natural teeth, but they surely come close. They are the only tooth replacement option that replaces the whole tooth, including the root.

However, dental implants need a sturdy jawbone to hold them in place. But sometimes, you might not have enough jawbone to secure the dental implant. If this is the case, our dentist will suggest bone grafting to help replace the missing bone.

For most people, the procedure may sound scary, but there is nothing to fear since this procedure has been performed for nearly a century in different medical fields. You will need to know the procedure and how to care for your mouth afterward.

Bone Grafting 101

Dental bone grafting is not a scary procedure but a relatively minor orthopedic surgery. Bone grafting aims to aid the rebuilding or repair of your bones via bone tissue transplantation. When the healthy bone tissue is transplanted, your body can recreate the bone and supporting tissue.

Bone grafting is done in a single appointment, where our family dentist in Torrance will make an incision at the jaw to expose the jawbone. Then the new bone tissue will be grafted into it. In a few months, your cells will do all the work and create new bone cells around the bone graft, and just like that, you will have a new bone.

You might assume that bones are very rigid. But you will appreciate that bones are more flexible and malleable. Bone grafting enables your body to get rid of old cells and make healthy new cells.

When Is Bone Grafting Necessary?

Our dentist may recommend dental bone grafting when the digital scan reveals that you don’t have enough healthy bone to support the dental implants. You might lack enough jawbone because of gum disease, developmental defects, face trauma, or unoccupied space after tooth extraction.

So, when you wish to get dental implants near you, there’s usually the probability that you might need bone grafting. When you lose a tooth, the bone that anchors the tooth starts to atrophy because it is strengthened and built up whenever you chew. That’s why getting a dental bone graft may seem necessary.

How Is Bone Grafting Done?

Dental bone grafting is a routine procedure that is minimally invasive and requires minimal downtime. Bone grafting involves very simple steps:

• Our dentist will administer anesthesia to ensure there is no pain and discomfort
• The next step is to make an incision where the graft is to be placed
• Then, our dentist will shape the donor tissue to fit the area
• Once the bone graft is in place, our dentist will close the incision with stitches

Aftercare

Even though the procedure is straightforward, it requires that you care for your mouth so that the surgical site heals as it should.

The healing time of the procedure will be different for every patient and usually varies depending on your general health, the size of the graft, and other variables. Some patients return to their daily routine within a few weeks, while others need a year to recover before getting dental implants.

Even though healing times vary, you will still need to care for the surgical site. This is how you will stop the bleeding:

• Stop Bleeding: After the bone graft, there is some bleeding that you should expect. It is common for the surgical site to bleed for the first 12 to 24 hours. Place gauze at the surgical site and bite it firmly for about an hour. You can remove the gauze pad after one hour and discard it. If you have removed the gauze pad and are still bleeding, place another and repeat the process.

• Reduce Swelling: It is normal to experience some swelling in the cheeks, mouth, sides of the face, and eyes. You can place an ice pack on the side of the surgical site. Cool the area for half an hour intervals for the first 24 or 48 hours.

• Don’t Smoke: Smoking is bad for your health. Besides this obvious fact, the chemicals in tobacco hinder or slow the healing process. Avoid cigarettes before and after the procedure.

• Activity: Rest is necessary for recovery. You will need to avoid strenuous activities for the first few days. Exercise might weaken you further because of dehydration and a change of diet. So, rest to aid the body in healing.
  Also, remember that when resting, keep your head elevated to prevent blood from pooling at the surgical site.

• Take Medication: Our dentist will prescribe painkillers and antibiotics to ensure that the area is infection- and pain-free.

• Change Your Diet: You should alter your diet and go for foods that are at room temperature. Plus, you will need to eat soft foods such as smoothies and pureed fruits, which give the mouth time to heal.

If you wish to know more about bone grafting, contact us at Sparkle Family Dentistry.