Bone grafting is often performed as the first step in a two-step dental procedure. At Mountain West Dental in Gillette, we perform bone grafting to replace damaged or missing bone in a person’s oral cavity. There are several uses for bone grafting in the world of dentistry, and the procedure isn’t as complex as it sounds.
At Mountain West Dental, our dentists have received extensive training in grafting bone. Additionally, they have years of experience that allow them to perform these grafts with high success rates. You can rest assured that you’re in safe hands.
Since we’re trying to replace missing bones in your mouth, we need a source of replacement. Currently, we have two options. The first is using biomaterials. The second option is to take bone from the patient’s body. Common donor sites include the chin and palate. Whether we use biomaterials or the patient’s bones, we’ll then use the graft and place it where the jaw has a deficient amount of bone. The grafted materials stimulate the body to form new bone, and the materials are included in the result.
Both biomaterials and grafts from the patient have great results. It seems, however, that when we use grafts from the patient, the results are better. Unfortunately, you can experience some pain and swelling in the jaw or palate where we extracted the graft.
After extracting the graft from the jaw/palate or using biomaterials, we place the graft in the defective area. The graft will stimulate the local cells in your jawbone to replicate and create new bone. This can take several months, and the duration varies from one person to the other.
You might need more than one visit to complete the procedure, depending on how compromised your oral cavity is. Once the new bone is formed and stabilized, we can then proceed with the second step, which is often a dental implant to replace a missing tooth. We do our best to maximize your comfort throughout the entire process.