Dr. Julia Gorelik may recommend a bone graft to help you regain healthy supporting bone and improve your oral health and function. During your initial consultation, our dentist will examine your mouth and evaluate your supporting bone to determine if you would benefit from a bone grafting procedure.

What is a bone graft?

A bone graft is an oral surgery procedure provided to help you regain healthy supporting bone after that bone has deteriorated and can no longer support your teeth or implants. It involves transplanting a piece of bone from another area of your jaw or body to your jawbone, where the transplanted bone can grow together with your jaw to create a stronger, more stable foundation for your teeth and implants.

When is bone grafting necessary?

Bone grafting is typically recommended when your bone density is insufficient to support your teeth or dental implants. This loss of bone density often occurs as a result of missing teeth — your natural teeth work to stimulate your supporting bone and keep it strong and healthy. If teeth have been lost, the bone in those areas begins to resorb, or shrink, and will eventually cause your remaining teeth to become unstable in your mouth. A bone grafting procedure is instrumental to restoring facial bone and facial structure, improving your health and oral function as well as boosting your self-confidence. You will need to receive a bone graft before you can replace missing teeth with dental implants.

What happens during a bone grafting procedure?

When you receive a bone graft, our dentist will take bone tissue from another area of your jaw or body and place it into the area of the missing or deteriorated bone tissue. We use bone from your own body to ensure that it is biocompatible and will provide you with the best possible results. Our dentist will clean the affected area before making an incision in your gums to separate them from the bones at the treatment site. The grafting material will be placed between the two sections of bone exposed by the incision. The graft is then secured to ensure it remains in place and the incision is closed so that you can begin to heal and recover. Over time, the grafted bone will grow together with your original bone to create a stronger and more stable foundation for your teeth.

For more information about bone grafting in Charlotte, North Carolina, and to schedule a consultation with our dentist, contact Gorelik Holistic Dentistry at 704-553-1627.