Bone Grafting in Washington, DC

As the foundation of your general oral health, your jawbone is important to the wellness and appearance of your smile. Bone loss in the jaw results from gum (periodontal) disease, prolonged tooth loss, and oral injury and may require a bone graft to rebuild areas that have deteriorated. Bone grafting is a procedure our board-certified oral surgeons routinely perform to rebuild bone structure in the jaw while providing support for future dental implants and restoring facial appearance. Similar to natural teeth, dental implants need adequate, healthy bone for the successful, long-term replacement of missing teeth. To learn if bone grafting is right for your oral health needs, schedule a visit with Dr. Edward Delgado or Dr. Michael Kuzmik in one of our Virginia practice locations today.

Bone grafting procedures may be recommended if you have bone damage due to oral trauma, advanced periodontitis (gum disease), or tooth loss. When teeth are lost, the tooth roots are no longer stimulating the underlying jawbone, which causes deterioration of the bone structure. Traditional tooth replacements, including fixed or removable dentures and bridges, do not engage the bone and can also encourage the loss of bone in the jaw. Since dental implants are positioned within the bone, they help to maintain jawbone health but do require a certain level of bone to be effective. Our skilled oral surgeons use advanced bone grafting techniques to replenish areas of lost jawbone tissue to the level necessary for proper dental implant support. Bone grafting sites are given several months to fully heal and integrate with the jaw, creating a stronger, healthier foundation for the future of your dental implants and smile.

The process of receiving a bone grafting procedure varies and is based on where the bone tissue is sourced, the extent of your grafting needs, and the type of graft being performed. Dr. Delgado and Dr. Kuzmik utilize several grafting approaches and will help you determine the options best suited for your oral health needs and preferences. Focused on providing minimally invasive care, our team incorporates advanced technology into our treatments to improve patient comfort, expedite healing, and deliver the best possible clinical results. We plan your bone grafting procedure using advanced iCAT™ 3-D imaging scans, which allow our doctors to determine exactly where and how much bone tissue is needed to restore your jaw. Our bone grafting techniques include:

• Autograft: An autograft uses bone tissue harvested from your body (chin, hip, or shin) to replenish lost bone in the jaw.
• Allograft: An allograft is performed with bone tissue from another human source or bone bank.
• Xenograft: In a xenograft, bone tissue is sourced from an animal, typically bovine (cow).
• Alloplast: With Alloplast grafting, synthetic biocompatible bone tissue is used to rebuild your jawbone structure.

As a patient of our practice, your comfort is very important to us. We perform bone grafting procedures in our state-of-the-art surgical suites under local anesthesia and sedation dentistry or with general anesthesia in a hospital setting. Dr. Delgado and Dr. Kuzmik begin the procedure by numbing the bone grafting sites and accessing the jawbone through a small incision made in the gums. PIEZOSURGERY® techniques may be used to perform the grafting procedure, allowing our doctors to treat the bone without affecting nearby tissues. Our surgeons will then carefully position the bone grafting material and may add biologic components to the area to help encourage bone growth and speed healing. Depending on your unique needs, we may perform bone grafting and implant placement during the same appointment. To complete the bone grafting procedure, we will suture your gum tissues and rinse your treatment sites.

Once your bone graft procedure is complete, the new tissue will begin to integrate with your jawbone to form a solid foundation. This phase is known as osseointegration and is very important to the future stability of your dental implants. Our team will provide you with instructions on how to care for your teeth and gums immediately following your bone grafting with regular brushing, flossing, and the use of any adjunctive products Dr. Delgado or Dr. Kuzmik may have recommended. Maintaining good home care is key to keeping your treatment sites healthy. Pain medications or antibiotics may be prescribed to alleviate discomfort or infection following your treatment. A follow-up visit with our doctors will be scheduled so that we can evaluate your healing and progress and let you know when your dental implant surgery can take place.

A bone grafting procedure may be covered by dental or medical insurance, depending on your particular provider and plan type. Before beginning your treatment, our business team will contact your insurance provider to determine your covered benefits. We will present you with a treatment estimate and let you know of any anticipated out-of-pocket expenses. For your convenience, we accept several payment options and can provide information on CareCredit® medical financing. 

Bone grafting may be the key to overcoming bone loss and creating a healthy, strong foundation for tooth replacement with dental implants. This common procedure can also help to reestablish facial contours and appearance affected by the loss of bone tissue in the jaw. Our highly experienced and caring team of surgeons can discuss your bone grafting options and create a treatment plan personalized for your specific needs. To learn more about our bone grafting procedures, schedule your consultation with Dr. Delgado or Dr. Kuzmik at one of our Virginia oral and maxillofacial surgery centers.