The importance of understanding the dental treatment prescribed
At Crooke & Laguna we know how confusing it could be to attend a first dental appointment for somebody who is not related to the dental field. How many times have you thought you understood the treatment recommended by the doctor and yet did not remember the reasons to follow their advice on your way home? Our team is aware of how hard it can be to recall all the information given at the practice. That is why we have decided to solve all the questions you may have, so you can understand what these treatments/techniques are in a simple and easy way.
Today´s post is focused on bonegrafting.
What is a bonegraft?
The bonegraft is a dental technique normally used on patients who need a dental implant but have not enough bone. It can be developed on a small area of the maxilla in order to place a single implant, in a bigger area for two or three implants; or the whole maxilla with the aim to carry out a complete oral rehabilitation over implants in the future.
The surgery starts with a small incision in the gum in order to reach the patient´s bone. The following step is to add the bonegraft that will help the bone to grow in the next months. Finally, the doctor seals the area and gives the patient advice about the aftercare.
In every case, the possibility of doing both techniques the same day will depend on various factors. In the event the patient cannot get the implants placed when undergoing a bonegraft surgery, they will need to wait between 4, 6 or 9 months to let the bone heal properly.
Materials
There are several options regarding the material used, all will depend on the origin:
- Autograft: the bone comes from the patient body. (such as hip, tibia or jaw). This would be the best option, as it promotes faster healing and new bone growth.
- Allograft: the material comes from a different person.
- Xenografts: this involves bone from another species, such as cow or pig.
- Alloplasts: synthetic material, such as calcium phosphate or calcium sodium phosphosilicate.
There is not an option better than the others, as all of them have different features. Our team at Crooke & Laguna will study each case and will recommend the best one for the patient.
Make an appointment with your doctor at Crooke & Laguna
Best option would be to make an appointment with us, so we can give you advice on the dental treatment you may need. The sooner you start, the sooner you will be enjoying a beautiful and healthy smile!
