Bone Grafts in Placentia

Bone loss has many causes, including tooth loss, gum disease, medical conditions like osteoporosis, dental trauma, or wearing down of the bone from behaviors like teeth grinding. 

Bone loss can have many consequences, including changes to your bite and facial structure. Losing bone density in the jaw increases your risk for future tooth loss, diminishes the support for your teeth and gums, and does not offer enough support to place dental implants as a replacement. 

A lack of bone density can also cause changes to your facial appearance, including facial sagging, shortening of the face, or a protruding face.

Bone grafts may be recommended to create support for dental implants or other tooth restorations, to restore support to the facial muscles and natural tooth structures, or to prevent future tooth loss.

Most Placentia patients who are looking to get dental implants are good candidates for bone grafting. This is because half of all people who receive dental implants require bone grafting to create enough bone support. You should be in good oral and overall health for this procedure.

Once the bone graft is applied to the jaw and held in place with the adhesive, the adhesive will dissolve over time, causing the graft to fuse with the existing bone and promote regeneration. 

Most sutures used today are dissolvable so you will only need to return to have stitches removed if they were not dissolvable. 

You will deal with some minor swelling and bleeding following this procedure at our Placentia office, which is normal. You should use anti-inflammatory pain medicine to reduce swelling and treat pain. Apply a cold pack to the swollen area of your face and keep your head elevated. 

You should rest after the procedure and avoid strenuous activity for the first week. You will also be instructed to eat a soft food diet.