When You Should Consider Bone Grafting?

By Lawrenceville Dental Implant Center and Periodontics, LLC

April 24, 2016

Tags: Bone Grafting

When it comes to our teeth, we tend to focus almost exclusively on how they look. Sure, most people understand that gum disease is a serious problem, but if they're honest, most people are also likely to admit that the cosmetic aspects of their smile, such as tooth color Bone Grafting and shape, tend to take precedence over the gums, let alone the tissue living underneath the gums. But like any structure in the body, the bone matter that supports our teeth below the gum line is the foundation of our overall oral health. Seemingly insignificant lifestyle habits like consuming too much sugar or “forgetting” to floss every day, as well as uncontrollable factors like dental trauma and accidents can affect the bone structures in the jaw that support the teeth.

What is Periodontal Bone Grafting?

Once a tooth is lost, the bone structure that keeps the root in place under the gums begins to erode. Tooth replacement options like dental implants, which are a more permanent alternative to dentures and dental bridges, require sufficient bone density in order to work. Oral bone grafting works the same way as grafts to other parts of the body. Compatible material from either a donor, synthetics, or the patient is used to fill in for the missing tissue. At Lawrenceville Dental Implant Center and Periodontics, LLC, the procedure is performed in the office under local anesthesia.

There are four types of grafts:

Synthetic material (Alloplast)
Bovine material (Xenograft)
Material from the patient's own body (Autograft)
Material from a deceased donor (Allograft)

It is a minor dental surgery, and once the graft has been added, the body begins to produce healthy new bone tissue that eventually replaces the graft.

Dental Bone Grafting in Lawrenceville

Problems below the gum line can be hard to detect without a professional dental exam. Some defects can go undetected for months or even years, increasing the risk for tooth decay, loss of healthy bone tissue, and other potentially serious health complications in the future. For more information on preventing periodontal disease and maintaining your oral health, or to learn more about whether a bone graft is right for you, contact Lawrenceville Dental Implant Center and Periodontics, LLC at (609) 896-0700 to schedule an appointment today.

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