A bone graft can go a long way toward restoring your appearance and providing a solid base for dental implants or dentures if missing teeth have caused your jawbone to atrophy.
Over time, people with missing teeth can experience bone loss in the area – the bone either atrophies or is reabsorbed. A bone graft replaces this missing bone with the patients own bone (taken from another area) or a synthetic or natural substitute. But in addition to replacing the missing bone, the graft can stimulate your body to grow new bone, strengthening the area and forming a transitional bridge between the existing bone and the grafted material. Eventually, this newly-formed bone will replace much of the material that was grafted.
In a sense, a bone graft reverses the bone loss caused by missing teeth. Before a bone graft is performed, dental implants or dentures may be impossible because the quality and quantity of bone available are insufficient. Afterward, thanks to the graft and bone regrowth, we’ll be able to place appropriately-sized implants or fit you with dentures. If you decide to go ahead with a bone graft and other restorative procedures after bone loss, your smile will thank you and you’ll speak and eat much more comfortably.