Project Description
Bone and Soft Tissue Grafting
When the jawbone has receded or sustained significant damage due to bacterial infection, implants cannot be supported. Bone and soft tissue grafting are procedures that replace unstable bone and promote restoration. Your own bone and soft tissue or synthetic materials can be used for the graft, and Dr. Angart will make that determination upon examination.
During a bone graft procedure, a section of bone from another area of your body will be taken and grafted into your jaw bone. Once it’s in place, you will have to wait a few months for the graft to create enough new, strong bone to make sure that the implant will be stable and secure.
Once the bone graft is complete—sometimes even with synthetic bone-like material—the implant surgery can proceed as planned. Since bone grafting involves surgery, it’s important that you share your medical history with Dr. Angart to make sure you aren’t at too great of a risk to go through the procedure.
Soft tissue grafting, on the other hand, is used to stop gum recession or to improve the appearance of your gum line. Gum grafts can be used to cover roots or to encourage the growth of gum tissue that may have disappeared as a result of recession.
If you see that your teeth appear too long, or you experience heightened sensitivity to cold food or liquids due to exposed roots, gum grafting may be the best plan of action.
Gum recession is often the reason for grafting. It can be caused by chronic inflammation from plaque along the gum line, brushing too hard, or even grinding your teeth. Dr. Angart will sit down with you to review the factors contributing to your recession and determine a treatment plan to repair the damage and help prevent additional recession.
During the procedure, gum tissue will be taken from the roof of your mouth and moved to the problem area. The graft will be placed over the exposed root and underneath the gum tissue in the area of the recession. It’s also possible that you may be able to use synthetic soft tissue materials, which will be determined by Dr. Angart during your examination.