Understanding the Benefits of Inlays and Onlays
If you’re considering an inlay or onlay and wonder about the advantages of these restorations, we’ve got you covered. Read on as we discuss inlays and onlays and how they can benefit you.
Dental Implant Preparation: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Bone Grafting
Dental implants are a durable, aesthetically pleasing solution for missing teeth, but you need plenty of healthy jawbone to support the implant’s titanium post.
If you lack ample jawbone, you’re not out of the running for a dental implant. At Chelsea Dental Aesthetics in New York City, Dr. David Blaustein may recommend a bone graft before implant placement. Here’s what to expect:
Step 1: Initial consultation
Before you get started with a dental implant, Dr. Blaustein evaluates your oral health, reviews your medical history, and takes imaging scans to assess your jawbone density. If your jawbone isn’t strong enough to support an implant, a bone graft may be necessary.
Step 2: Choose your material
If you’re a good candidate for a bone graft, the next step is to review your bone graft material options:
- Autograft, bone taken from your body
- Allograft, bone from a human donor
- Xenograft, bone from an animal source, usually bovine
- Synthetic graft, biocompatible material that stimulates bone growth
Autograft materials — considered the gold standard in dentistry — can come from another part of your jaw or your hip. Because it’s from your body and, therefore, biocompatible, you don’t have to worry about reactions to synthetic ingredients.
Dr. Blaustein reviews your options and recommends the right bone graft material.
Step 3: Schedule your procedure
We advise you of any steps you need to take before your bone graft procedure. During the bone graft procedure itself, Dr. Blaustein:
- Numbs your gums with a local anesthetic
- Makes an incision in your gums and gently moves your gums away from the jawbone
- Cleans and disinfects the area
- Adds the bone grafting material to areas of bone loss
- Covers the graft with a protective membrane and repositions your gums
- Closes the incision with stitches
After the procedure, you may feel sore or swollen, but these symptoms dissipate within a few days. The protective membrane may dissolve on its own or require removal.
Step 4: Recovery and healing
After Dr. Blaustein places the graft, your body gradually integrates the new material to create a strong foundation for your implant.
That process can take several months, depending on the size of the graft and your overall health. As your bone and graft material heal, eat nutrient-dense foods, get enough sleep, and avoid smoking.
Smoking, in particular, can derail your recovery and compromise the success of your bone graft. It can also increase your risk of implant failure and bone loss. Consider a smoking cessation program before you get started with implants or bone grafts.
Step 5: Dental implants
Once your bone heals and your jaw can support an implant, schedule your dental implant surgery. Your specific surgery details vary depending on whether you’re getting a single implant or implant-supported overdentures.
In either case, the process is relatively the same: Dr. Blaustein implants a titanium post into your jaw, and your bone fuses with the post, a process called osseointegration.
With a single implant, he caps the post with an abutment (connector piece) and a crown. With implant-supported dentures, multiple posts support an entire row of teeth.
Preparing for your bone graft procedure
If you need a bone graft, don’t worry — the routine procedure is highly effective in supporting an implant. Dr. Blaustein is a nationally recognized expert in bone grafts and implants, and our team guides you through the entire implant process.
To learn more about dental implants, call our office in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan or request a consultation online today.
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