Dental implants are one of the most exciting developments in modern dentistry. They can literally transform your smile and give you back your confidence. Implants are suitable for many people, but they’re not always the best solution for patients with missing teeth. In some cases, you may be told that you’re not a suitable candidate for implants because there is a lack of dense bone tissue in the jaw. If this is the case, you don’t have to give up your dreams of a beautiful new smile. We can often carry out bone grafting to strengthen the bone tissue, and build up bone mass.

What is bone grafting?

Bone grafting is a procedure, which involves taking bone from one part of the body or using an artificial bone substitute and placing it a different part of the body. In the case of dental implants, grafting is used to increase bone density in the jaw, so that the bone is capable of securing a dental implant. Most commonly, our dentists take tissue from the hip or a different part of the mouth to prepare for implant treatment.

What happens during a bone graft?

Before you have treatment, your dentist will do some X-rays to check the depth and strength of the bone tissue. If the tissue isn’t dense enough, bone grafting may be recommended. Once the bone has been removed from the donor site, most commonly the hip, your dentist will make a small incision in the gum to create a flap. The flap will be lifted, and the donor tissue placed onto the jaw bone. The flap will then be closed, and the incision sutured. Gauze will be placed over the incision to promote healing and reduce the risk of infection. In total, healing time takes around 4 months. Once the healing process is complete, the implant can be placed.

Does bone grafting work?

Bone grafting is not successful in every single case. However, the success rate is very high, and most people go on to enjoy successful implant treatment.