Bone Grafting in Fort Myers

In medicine, a bone graft is used to repair and rebuild diseased or damaged bone using a transplant. It can also be used in dentistry. It is usually recommended to build up bone material that has been lost as a result of gum disease (periodontitis) or to prepare the jaw for a dental implant procedure. Fort Myers Dental Arts offers this treatment to promote the oral health of patients in Fort Myers.

Why are Bone Grafts Needed?

There are several reasons why your dentist at Fort Myers Dental Arts might recommend a bone graft.

• Save teeth: If periodontal disease has reached an advanced stage and led to bone loss, the teeth can become at risk of being lost. Your dentist may recommend a bone graft to save them, building up the bone around them again to better support them and keep them in place.
• Fill in a tooth socket: Bone grafting material can be deposited into a tooth socket after it has been extracted, such as following a wisdom tooth extraction. This also serves the purpose of building up the jaw to prepare it for dental implants if you should choose that option in the future.
• Dental implants: If you wish to have dental implants placed to replace teeth that have either been lost or extracted, you will need to have sufficient bone structure. If you are not yet a candidate for the procedure, your dentist can first build up the bone structure to make it strong enough to support the implant(s) successfully.

Procedure

A bone grafting procedure does require surgery, so local anesthesia will be used to minimize any pain or discomfort. If dental anxiety is a concern, other forms of sedation may also be considered.

Your dentist will make an incision into the gum tissue over the area where the gum graft will be placed. The graft, which can be taken from another area of the mouth (such as the palate) or another area of the body, will then be placed onto the bone. Your gum tissue will be stitched closed, and the site will be left to heal. This process can take several months, during which your body will deposit its own bone material around the graft.

If you require a bone graft in Fort Myers, contact us at Fort Myers Dental Arts.