A dental implant is one of the top choices for treating lost or missing teeth. But not every patient’s jawbone structure is strong enough to support an implant. In almost half of the cases, patients need dental bone grafting to replace lost bone by transplanting bone taken from an alternative source. The source can be either your other body part’s bone or taken from animals or human corpses.
What Is Dental Bone Grafting?
Dental bone grafting is a surgical procedure that involves transplanting a piece of bone in the jawbone. This procedure is often necessary when the jawbone is not strong enough to support implants. This routine procedure is highly effective and minimally invasive. In most cases, the surgery can be completed in an hour. Whereas it may take longer for complex issues. Regardless, this treatment is also essential to prevent jaw resorption following an extraction.
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Bone Grafts?
The recovery time depends on the number of missing teeth and bone grafts needed. Most patients are fully recovered within 4 months. Sometimes, your dentist will ask you to wait for 7 or 9 months before undergoing dental implants. Recovering from bone grafts is one of the most crucial parts to make your operation successful.
Other factors on which your recovery time depends include your jaw position and condition. For example, patients who need gum grafting with bone grafting require more time to heal than others. The recovery period also depends on your age, physical and overall health. Your dentist will schedule regular checkups to monitor the healing of your dental bone grafts.
What happens after the procedure?
After the procedure, your dentist may give you antibiotics to prevent bone grafting infection. To manage mild pain associated with surgery, pain-relieving medications may also be prescribed. However, most patients feel little to no discomfort after the treatment as they take antibiotics and follow their dentist’s instructions. You should also be aware of the “signs of bone graft infection” to treat it on time.
Bone Graft Post-Surgery Care
It is essential to follow a post-surgery care routine and take medications as prescribed by your dentist. You also need to avoid eating hard foods to prevent irritation in the affected area. You can use a cold ice compress as it helps relieve swelling and mild pain. It is advisable to elevate your head while sleeping to prevent blood influx in the gum tissues. Lastly, try avoiding physical exercise or activities, like sports, gym, etc., for a few days. Your dentist will educate you through each procedure and let you know when it’s the right time to return to your regular routine.
Conclusion
The recovery time for bone grafting depends on several factors. It usually takes 4 months. But the duration can exceed for complex cases. Dental bone grafting is designed to rebuild or repair bones by transplanting healthy bone tissue to your jawbone. So, suppose you’re getting dental implants but don’t have enough strength in your bone structure. In that case, your dentist may ask you to undergo dental bone grafting before having an implant. This will you’re your jawbone to support the implants.
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