Dental Implants and Bone Grafting: When It's Necessary

Sometimes dental issues get complicated, and one needs to go through more complex procedures. And then, hearing words like 'implant' or 'bone grafting' may feel even more overwhelming and nerve-racking.

However, once you get a basic idea of what is the procedure required, you can go through it with a calm mind, while allowing your trusted dentist to do what they're best at.

Firstly, to understand the need for bone grafting, we must know what a dental implant is: -

What is a dental implant?

 A dental implant is an artificial 'tooth root' that is embedded into the jaw bone, and allowed to fuse over a couple of months, for it to become an almost life-long support for a replacement tooth or bridge. It is a permanent fixture inserted into the jawbone, without extracting or filing down adjacent teeth.

Usually recommended when someone has a missing / broken tooth, an extracted tooth or a wide gap between two teeth, once the implant has fused completely, it is capped with a dental crown. This crown makes your set of teeth look complete and restores your smile, or even enhances it, in many cases.

An implant is usually made of titanium, which is one of the hardest known substances and very safe for such invasive procedures. 

The whole procedure usually may take between 2 to 4 months for the average person, who does not have any other ongoing dental issues.

Requirements for a successful implant:

For an implant to be successful, the 4mm thick implant requires about 6mm of jawbone space. However, when a tooth is lost or extracted, the jawbone in that area quickly starts deteriorating. This weakens the overall jaw, and needs reinforcement.

To resolve this a bone graft becomes imperative.

Bone grafting:

A bone graft is done to create sufficient bone-mass in the jaw, for the implant to be possible.

It is often done at the time of the tooth extraction itself, using demineralized cow bone or human bank bone, rather than using bone from the patient. A small membrane is then placed over the socket to protect the newly formed bone.

This is known as the 'socket preservation bone graft'.

 Depending on case to case, the dental surgeon may opt for the 'onlay bone graft'. This is usually in situations where the area of the missing tooth does not have sufficient bone to support the implant, and a fair amount of time has passed before an implant is scheduled. It is a more invasive procedure for this reason.

How long does the whole procedure take?

The bone graft takes 4 to 6 months before it is formed completely, and can withstand a dental implant. It is considered successful if it has added at least 30% more bone to the area of the scheduled implant.

Things to be aware of:

- The graft as well as the implant are invasive procedures, and performed under local anaesthesia.

- You need to inform your surgeon beforehand about existing health conditions, if any.

- You can ask the expert as many questions as you have, to gain clarity about pre and post surgery care.

- The prescribed medication is meant specifically for your condition, so do not take anything unless told.

- Each person's recovery experience and pace is different, so be patient with yourself.

- Take sufficient rest, eat soft and mildly spiced foods, and practice a whole lot of self-care on your path to healing.

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