One of the best ways to replace a missing tooth is through a dental implant. If your orthodontist determines that you are a good candidate for a dental implant, you might need to undergo a bone grafting operation first. This procedure will help your jawbone provide support and combine well with the titanium screw that provides anchorage to the dental implant in your mouth. Read on to understand more about dental implants, dental bone graft healing, and what to expect after a dental bone graft operation.
Understanding Dental Bone Graft
Bone grafting is a minimally invasive surgery that aims to provide the tissue that supports a new bone's growth. When a patient who needs a dental implant has too weak or too soft jawbone tissues that cannot support the dental implant, a dental bone graft is an ideal procedure. The weakening of a patient's jawbone may result from aging naturally or any other medical issue. Bone grafting requires the doctor to remove bone tissue from another part of your body and replace the weak or soft jawbone. In many cases, the doctor assesses the patient's jawbone's health and determines the bone grafting procedure's extent. After a dental bone graft surgical procedure, the bone graft healing process begins. It may take a few months for the graft to hold and start creating new jawbone tissues. In recent times, cadaver sources or animals also provide bone tissue that replaces the jaw's missing bone. The good thing with the non-traditional sources is that they are less responsible for less morbidity and prevent the patient from having a second surgical site. They are also as equally successful as the traditional sources of bone tissue.
What to Expect after Dental Bone Graft
As we have seen, a bone graft assists in replacing missing bones in your jaw to create a more stable base for dental implants. However, many patients do not know what to expect during dental bone graft healing. Below are some of the things you should expect after dental bone graft treatments.
Swelling
One thing to expect during the dental bone graft healing process is that your face will swell. You can take the necessary steps to prevent extreme swelling of the face after your dental bone graft operation. One of the best methods is to use ice. Icing is ideal for reducing dental bone graft pain after surgery.
Pain and Discomfort
You will experience some pain and discomfort, but the pain is bearable. Most people equate it to the pain one may feel after extracting a tooth. Icing the face and mouth area where the doctor conducted the surgery reduces blood flow into the gum tissues. Minimizing the blood flow into the gums helps minimize bleeding. Therefore, icing can minimize bleeding, allowing the jawbone muscles to heal correctly. You can do it at regular intervals during the first two days after the surgery for better results.