What to Expect from Dental Bone Grafting?
When you are suffering from any degenerative disease from gum or jaw bone, you are in need of a dental bone graft. Another very common scenario is when you are losing teeth due to an accident, age, or extraction. This is because when your jaw bone and the socket are left with nothing to support. In any case, if you are hearing about bone graft, then it is very natural to be paranoid fearing that it is a complex procedure. But it is not.
Dental bone grafting is a very straightforward process done at any reputed clinic of oral and facial surgery in Cornelius, Charlotte, Huntersville, Mooresville, and Davidson, NC. So, if you are wondering what you can expect from a dental bone grafting process, you are at the right place. Take a look to get the right information.
The Reason for Dental Bone Grafting
Even though this sounds like a severe issue, the reason for dental bone grafting comes down to simple physiology. Your jawbone and the gum are responsible for holding the teeth in the right place. Now, when you lose your tooth because of some accident, age or extraction, the socket will remain empty with the jawbone to support nothing. A blood clot is necessary to form in the place to promote healing and cover the jawbone. But if it is dislodged, then the bone will be exposed again and it will start deteriorating.
If you are going for dental implants after some time or several months, then the oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Charlotte, Davidson, Kenansville, and Concord NC will find out that your jaw is not in the right shape to offer the required support to the implant. This is when the doctor will recommend you to get bone grafting.
What is a Bone Graft?
A bone graft works like scaffolding that supports and helps in the growth of the natural bone in your jaw. The surgeon will either take a small portion of bone from any other body part of yours. Or they will insert artificial bone grafting material that will support your jaw bone. The graft will spur the growth of new bone. After the procedure is done, the patient is sent back home for rest for several months and only after it is healed, the implants are placed.
During the Procedure
If you are worried about the pain of the surgery, don’t worry. You will be sedated completely at the time of bone grafting. You will be given general anesthesia. It will comfortably put you to sleep. After that, the surgery will be carried out. This process is minimally invasive and the wound will be closed with sutures.
Once you go back home, you might feel a little pain and discomfort from the surgery which is very similar to tooth extraction or any other dental procedure. The pain can be easily managed too with the medicine available over the counter. Also, the doctor will prescribe painkillers and antibiotics which will help you. You might feel a bit of swelling in the area. For reducing that, apply ice over your skin. It helps with the pain too. While sleeping, prop your head up to avoid any sudden bleeding for the next two days of your surgery for bone grafting.
It is better to have a liquid and semi-liquid diet during your recovery period. Go for juices, smoothies, and milkshakes for this time so that you can get the necessary fluid as well as nutrients while you can recover faster too.
Prohibitions
If you are habituated with strenuous work, then refrain from it for a few days. Also, do not exercise. If you are a smoker, then this time you will have to stop. Research says that smoking can seriously slow down the healing process while you are recovering from bone grafting.
Start searching with the terms like “oral surgeons in my area” and schedule your appointment with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon right away.