Necessity of Bone Graft for Dental Implant
To understand the importance of dental bone grafting, you need to first understand what dental implants are. Dental implants are the most effective means of replacing missing teeth — this is a procedure in which the dentist lodges titanium or metallic framework into your jawbone. Over time, your jaw bone grows around the dental implant, thereby rooting it in place and making it a part of your body. As such, the dental implant serves as a foundation on which the dentist can attach dental crowns, dental bridges, or other replacements for your teeth. As such, a dental implant is the strongest and most effective way to replace your teeth.
The biggest issue, however, is that you already need sufficient bone structure to get dental implants. But when you lose your teeth, you also start losing your bone structure. Without a tooth to support, your bone stops growing due to the lack of stimulus. Within a year of your tooth loss, you also lose about 25% of your jaw bone structure. As such, if you’ve waited a while before considering dental implants, you may not have sufficient bone structure for the procedure.
That’s why bone graft for dental implants is necessary. If you don’t have enough bone structure, the dentist uses grafting material from other sources to facilitate jaw bone regeneration. The dentist plants the grafting material within the empty socket of the missing tooth. In a few months, your bone starts growing and eventually replaces the grafting material. That, in turn, enables you to get dental implants.