When you lose a tooth, there is more than you lose as well. You will also start to lose bone in your jaw. It is gradual, but it will make a difference over time. Just because you lost a tooth does not mean that you have to live with a hole in your smile. Come to see us at Dr. Xixi Wu, because we would like to see if you are a candidate for a dental implant. The implant will replace the tooth that you lost, and it will become a permanent part of your mouth. The problem is that you need to have enough bone in your jaw to be able to have a dental implant.

If you have been missing the tooth for a while, or if you have had much decay, it could be mean there is not enough bone. There is a way to give you the bone that you will need. That is where bone grafting comes in.

What Is Bone Grafting? How Can It Help With a Dental Implant?

With bone grafting, we can give you more bone so that you will have enough for an implant. It takes time, but it will be worth it in the long run. For bone grafting, we will need to start with a small amount of bone. We will usually take this from a different part of your body, such as your chin or one of the bones in your leg. Do not worry; it will not be noticeable. We could also use bone from an animal or a cadaver instead of your bone.

The next step is that the bone will be ground into pieces the size of sand. We will then place those in your jaw in the area where you need the extra bone. If you need a larger amount of bone, we might use a larger piece and not grind it up. This is not usually the case when getting bone ready for a dental implant. Bone grafting can take several weeks to heal. We will give you instructions on how you should take care of the area and also what you will be able to eat and drink. We will check on you along the way to make sure that everything is healing properly.

Once the bone grafting is complete, we will be able to go ahead with the implant. We will use the extra bone to implant a screw in your jaw where the new tooth will be. That will take time to heal as well. When that is ready, we will place a crown on the screw, and you will have a new permanent tooth.

Bone grafting may sound like a strange concept, but it could be the first step to replacing a missing tooth in your mouth. Here at Dr. Xixi Wu, we want to make sure that you have a healthy mouth and a beautiful smile. If you are missing a tooth, call (972) 669-9444 to make an appointment so that we can get started.