Dental Implant Preparation: What to Expect From Your Bone Grafting Procedure

If you’ve lost a tooth, a dental implant gives you an excellent way to replace it. Once this tooth is in, it’s firmly rooted in your mouth. As a result, it feels and functions just like a natural tooth. And with proper oral hygiene, it should last your lifetime.

In other words, a dental implant provides serious advantages over other types of replacement teeth. But getting ready for an implant might require some extra work. 

To help you get the best results from your dental implant, Dr. Sujay Trivedi, Dr. Michael Westcott, and our team offer bone grafts right here at Family Dental Care in West Palm Beach, Florida. This extra step prepares your jawbone to support your implant so you can enjoy it for your lifetime. Here’s what you should know about this simple preparatory procedure. 

When you need a bone graft

Not all patients need a bone graft before they get a dental implant. If your jawbone is healthy and sturdy, you can launch straight into implanting the post that serves as the tooth root. 

But in some cases, your jawbone might need some strengthening before it can support the post that roots your implant. As you bite and chew, your teeth experience a lot of pressure. Your jawbone needs to stand up to that force. 

As a result, Dr. Westcott or Dr. Trivedi might recommend a bone graft before you get your implant. With this procedure, we can strengthen your jawbone so that it’s ready to support your replacement tooth. Taking this step could mean the difference between an implant that fails and one that lasts your lifetime. 

What to expect from bone grafting

If you would benefit from a bone graft, you’ll be glad to know that this is a relatively simple procedure that we can perform right here at our office. 

The process starts when Dr. Trivedi or Dr. Westcott applies a local anesthetic to the treatment area to keep you comfortable from start to finish. Then, we make a small incision to access your jawbone, apply the bone grafting material to the area, and close up the incision. It’s as simple as that. 

You shouldn’t have much discomfort after a bone graft procedure. You might notice some bruising or swelling, but it should fade within a few days. Over-the-counter pain relievers should be enough to manage any oral tenderness you may feel. 

The bone grafting material acts as scaffolding, providing a structure your body can use to progressively build healthy jawbone in the area. Once your jaw has generated sufficient bone, which usually takes a few months, we can move forward with the dental implant process. 

To find out if you would benefit from bone grafting before a dental implant, call our Family Dental Care team at 561-556-1698 today, or use our online booking tool at your convenience.