Bone grafting is used to strengthen to your natural jawbone after a tooth or multiple teeth extraction, gum disease, or facial trauma. The jawbone will atrophy, leaving you with an unsuitable bone for dental implants, if they are ever needed. Today, our board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Bart Nierzwicki, can perform bone grafting to restore your jawbone’s functionality, as well as repair your sunken facial appearance. At our office in Chicago, IL, we can offer you a consultation and examination to see if you are a good candidate for bone grafting. Much like most of our surgical procedures completed in-house, bone grafting is routinely performed on outpatient basis and does not require an overnight hospital stay.
request an appointmentLike the rest of the human body, the jawbone relies on a healthy blood flow to deliver essential minerals and nutrients. In the jaw, this flow is stimulated during biting and chewing as the tooth’s roots absorb pressure. After a tooth is lost or extracted, the bone within the empty socket is resorbed so that the nutrients can be dispersed elsewhere throughout the body. Left untreated, jawbone deterioration can lead to further tooth loss and other complications.
There are many options and combinations of grafting materials and methods to choose from, and each has its own pros and cons. Dr. Nierzwicki will determine which type of bone graft and material is right for you. Call today to schedule your consultation at Millennium Surgical.
Autografts, or autogenous bone grafts, use your own bone from your hip, jaw, lower leg, hip, or skull. Most patients want to use their own live bone for greater bone growth.
Made from harvested and treated bone of cadavers, allogenic bone grafts can serve as a foundation for building up a bone wall to fill in an empty gap.
Using the bones of another non-living species, like a cow, the xenogenic bone graft can fill the space without the need of a second procedure to harvest live bone.
Made up of synthetic bone graft materials and growth factors, graft composites can be made of:
- Collagen or ceramic composite (resembling real bone)
- DBM with added bone marrow cells (helps growth of new bone)
- Collagen, ceramic, and autograft composite (natural bone mixed with synthetic)
Demineralized Bone Matrix (DBM)/Demineralized Freeze-Dried Bone Allograft (DFDBA)
Treated allograft bone, DBM is a safe alternative to live bone containing collagen, proteins, and growth factors made into a powder, putty, chips, or as a gel that can be injected through a syringe by your oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
Naturally produced within the body, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) encourage and normalize bone healing and development.
DURING THE PROCEDURE
Dr. Bart Nierzwicki can perform bone grafting procedures to fortify your jaw, including putty graft, block graft, or an advanced BMP procedure. Bone grafts are often performed on patients with weakened jaws in preparation for dental implant placement. In these cases, the bone graft is usually performed several months before the dental implants are placed. Bone graft surgery can be done safely under local or general anesthesia, per patient’s preference.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
If tooth and jawbone loss is not corrected, the patient could possibly face:
- Teeth shifting, becoming misaligned, loosening, or falling out
- A sunken facial profile
- Poor lip structure support
- Deeper wrinkling around the mouth
- Sinus widening
- Diminished ability to chew food
- Jaw (temporomandibular joint, or TMJ) pain, facial pain, and headaches
- Struggles with speaking and communicating with teeth gaps in the mouth
PLAN YOUR PROCEDURE
Recovery Time 1 Week
Average Procedure Time 1 – 2 Hours
Post-op Follow-up 2 Weeks
Procedure Recovery Location Office
OPTIMAL BONE HEALTH IS KEY
Our medical team can help you make the right choices when it comes to restoring your jawbone health, and that means giving you the information and tools needed to make the best decision. We are here to help you every step of the way. Please call us today for more information or to schedule your first appointment with our experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeon.