Is Bone Graft Necessary For Implant?

If you're a dental patient in need of an implant, one of the questions on your mind might be, "Is a bone graft necessary for a dental implant?" The answer is with your doctor because your dentist will inform you if you require a  bone graft after a thorough examination.In general, if there is not enough healthy bone in your jaw to support the implant, you should have bone graft surgery.

Today, a dental bone graft is one of the beneficial treatments, and the result of the implant after this procedure is quite satisfactory. This procedure may sound odd to you, and you may have many questions about it. But don't worry, we'll inform you if you need a bone graft for an implant in this article.

Bone Graft For Dental Implant

First, let us define a bone graft and explain why it is commonly used in orthopedic and dentistry patients. Bone grafting is a surgical procedure in which bone grafts are implanted into the damaged area in different body parts, such as the knee, hip, and even the jawbone. The healing process begins when a bone in your body fractures in an accident or is injured by bone disease. Doctors will fuse bone grafts containing the matrix and living cells to the damaged area if the fracture is severe. Your surgeon puts a new piece of bone into the injured location, and the cells within the new bone can then attach themselves to the old bone. As a result, live bone cells in bone grafts will form a matrix and repair injured bone. The process is similar in dental bone graft surgery, and it can be said that this surgery is one of the easiest and risk-free surgeries.

Do You Need A Bone Graft For An Implant?

As stated at the beginning of the text, not all candidates for dental implants need bone graft surgery. So who needs this surgery? Some people may lose one or more of their adult teeth for various reasons and need dental implants. However, the jawbone must be healthy and strong to support the implant in the gums. Unfortunately, the bone at the site of the missing tooth is weakened for a variety of reasons, making it difficult for the dentist to implant; reasons such as development defects, facial injury or trauma, delay in seeing a dentist, and gum disease. All these conditions make you need pre-implant dental bone graft surgery. If you do not have any of these issues, you will not require a pre-implant dental bone graft.

Is The Process Of Dental Bone Graft Painful?

This question arises from the stress and fear of having a bone graft surgery. Because patients think they will have a difficult operation, but this is not the case. A dental bone graft is an outpatient surgery that doctors perform every day in the office and is not painful or scary. The dentist makes a small incision in the gums and grafts a bone graft onto the old bone. A procedure that only takes a few minutes, and you will not feel any pain, so do not worry and trust your dentist safely.

What Are The Side Effects Of This Process?

We came to another concern of candidates for pre-implant dental bone grafts. Based on the long-term experience of physicians as well as patients, this method is one of the least risky surgeries today. It usually has no serious side effects, but a little pain and swelling are normal for two to three days after surgery that you can deal with ice packs and painkillers. But keep in mind that after a bone graft, you may have to wait a few months for the implant. Because fusion of new bone to old bone can take up to three months to a year, this varies depending on the patient's physical condition.

Bone Graft For Dental Implant Cost

Dental implant surgery is almost an expensive procedure, especially when a bone graft is needed for the implant. The cost of this surgery varies based on the region, clinic, and doctor, but you should expect a budget of between 3,000 and 11,000 USD for it. Bone graft surgery before the dental implant is not always necessary, and if necessary, the price will vary depending on the graft type. Grafts that are taken from the patient's own body are usually cheaper than artificial grafts. These grafts are known as autografts, while alloplasts and xenografts, respectively, are synthetic grafts or grafts taken from the bodies of other species. Each of these grafts has a varied price in different countries, and depending on the severity of the damage in the area, the most expensive of them is the alloplast type.

The Takeaway

is it possible to have a dental implant without a bone graft? This was the main question we tried to answer in this article today. Dental implants are one of the most modern methods of repairing missing teeth, which is a time-consuming and reliable procedure. In addition to all this popularity, a special infrastructure is required to perform this procedure, and detailed examinations must be performed before the operation. One of these conditions is to have a strong and healthy jawbone to support the implant. If a patient is in this circumstance, they are fortunate since dental implants can be performed quickly and affordably. But what if that isn't the case? What if the patient's jawbone is weakened for some reason?

In this condition, a dental bone graft is required before implanting, and implantation will be impossible without it. The surgeon will insert the bone graft into the treated area through a small incision in the gum, which is an outpatient procedure that is painless and has no side effects. After a few months, when the new bone is formed in the jaw, the conditions for the implant are ready, and you can have a safe procedure.