Bone and Tissue Grafts Can Improve Your Oral Health

There are many reasons why getting bone and tissue grafts may be necessary for improved oral health. This is especially true if you are looking to get dental implants after time has passed since losing your natural tooth or teeth. The longer you go without a natural tooth, the more bone and tissue loss you are likely to experience. In order to restore that tissue, allowing you to get the implant, you need bone and tissue grafts. Here are a few important things to know about these grafts and how they can help improve your overall oral health.

What Are Bone and Tissue Grafts Exactly?Bone and tissue grafts are grafts that are put into your mouth to help those different tissues regrow. When you lose a natural tooth, the bone and tissues that once held that tooth in place no longer get used. This makes your body believe that there is no need for these tissues any longer. From there, your body begins to break down those tissues and bone so that the cells of the body no longer have that extra work. It is your body’s way of helping itself, but it is also harming your oral health.

As your body breaks down the tissue and bone, you experience bone loss and resorption. This means that there is no longer sufficient tissue to hold the tooth in place. Should you decide down the line that you want a dental implant, you no longer have the ability to hold an implant securely. What you need, then, are bone and tissue grafts. This is when we take bone or other oral tissues and put them in your jaw to help it regrow. Then, once the bone and tissue grafts have healed, we can typically place your dental implant. This restores your ability to chew and speak like you did with your natural teeth.

How Long Do Bone and Tissue Grafts Need to Heal?

The length of time that your bone and tissue grafts need for healing depend on the type of grafts you have. Most bone and tissue grafts need a few weeks for surface healing, but then need a few months to fully heal internally. This is because the new bone and tissues need to fuse with the existing bone and tissues. This process takes time. If you only had one type of graft, you will need a slightly shorter amount of time to fully heal. Some people do not need both bone and tissue grafts. Instead, they need just one or the other. In this case, the healing often takes slightly less time.

You do need to be careful during the healing process. Bone and tissue grafts are delicate. If they are not treated as such, they can get pushed out of place. This means that if they heal, they will heal improperly and could leave you needing additional procedures before implants could be placed. You need to eat the right foods immediately after getting the grafts placed. Plus, you also need to make sure you stick to a strict oral hygiene routine during that time. By keeping your mouth clean and healthy, you are far more likely to have successful grafts than if you do not tend to keep your mouth as clean as you should.

When Are Bone and Tissue Grafts Necessary?

Bone and tissue grafts are necessary for anyone that has gone through bone loss after losing a natural tooth. This is common, often more common than our patients realize. Even if you lose a single natural tooth, it can affect the bone that is left behind. It can also cause the teeth that surrounded the original, natural tooth to shift. This can make the bone between those teeth struggle to remain healthy. It can be too brittle when we go to place an implant, leaving you unable to get one.

There are times where you may also need bone and tissue grafts to keep your dentures fitting right. If you do not want, or are not a good candidate for implants, then your best option is dentures. The problem is, dentures can leave you facing tissue and bone loss. The best answer for this is getting bone and tissue grafts to keep your gums healthy and strong enough to hold he dentures securely in place.

Turn to Walker Periodontics & Implant Dentistry for Your Bone and Tissue Grafts

When you need bone and tissue grafts, it is important that you turn to the most experienced professionals possible. In this instance, then you want to turn to the experts here at Walker Periodontics & Implant Dentistry. We have the experience you need to get the results you want. While we can do bone and tissue grafts to help you restore your smile, that is not the only service we provide. We can help with several different aspects of restoring your smile. What you need to do is give us a call.

From the moment you call our office, you become a part of the family to us. We want to see you and give you a consultation, so we can determine what procedures you need to restore your smile. Then, we will explain to you why each part of the process is so important. We will explain the procedures we think you need, and why. Neglecting even one step in the process could result in you not getting the look you want in the end. Then, we can set up a schedule so you can see when your smile will be exactly what you hoped for once more.

To get the best functionality and look for your mouth after losing any of your natural teeth, you need implants. Reach out to the experienced professionals here at Walker Periodontics & Implant Dentistry to get dental implants. We can be reached by calling (972)462-9800, so call us to schedule a consultation to see if you need to start with bone and tissue grafts!
 
META: Bone and tissue grafts allow your mouth to get back to a healthier point. Your mouth is then able to have restorative procedures, such as dental implants. If you want to find out if bone and tissue grafts would benefit your mouth, the contact us here at Walker Periodontics & Implant Dentistry today!