Bone Grafting Can Rebuild Your Jaw and Oral Health
Bone grafting is a surgical procedure that can rebuild your jaw after you have suffered from jawbone deterioration. Dr. Lifferth in Park City, UT, performs each bone grafting procedure with expert care, advanced techniques, and state-of-the-art technology, ensuring that your treatment is streamlined and convenient. Bone grafting can help Park City Oral Surgery patients who have lost bone due to trauma, severe tooth decay, periodontal disease, or tooth loss. This surgery is often a prerequisite procedure for patients desiring dental implants because it can create a solid foundation for implant posts and increase the chances for successful treatment.
Bone grafting can take tissue from your chin to rebuild your jaw and restore your candidacy for dental implants.
Planning Your Treatment
Dr. Lifferth generally performs oral surgery procedures at our private operating facility, saving you time and money from booking additional appointments with multiple doctors. He can also perform more extensive procedures at the local Park City Medical Center. During your initial consultation, Dr. Lifferth will determine which location will better serve your needs and improve your results.
Our team will use advanced technology to take highly accurate, 3-D scans of your jaw and oral structure. With these images, Dr. Lifferth can diagnose the severity of bone loss so there are no surprises during the bone grafting procedure. He will also take time to explain the procedure in detail, providing you with pre-surgical and post-surgical instructions to follow to ensure a smooth recovery.
The Bone Grafting Procedure
Your comfort is of great importance to us and our team is committed to providing you the best care possible throughout your entire journey. We provide a variety of sedation options for optimal comfort and a peaceful mindset, including local anesthesia, nitrous oxide, and intravenous (IV) sedation. Bone grafting is generally performed under IV sedation in addition to a local anesthetic that is used to numb the gum tissue.
During your procedure, Dr. Lifferth may take donor tissue from another area of your body such as the chin, hip, or tibia. If there is not enough bone tissue to graft, a donor bone or synthetically-grown tissue may be used. Dr. Lifferth will then make an incision in your gum where bone loss has occurred, inserting and carefully anchoring the healthy bone tissue. He will typically cover the bone graft with a specialized membrane to improve healing and keep it secured. Once your graft is in place, he will close the incisions with sutures.
If you have experienced extensive tooth loss but are unable to qualify for traditional dental implants, you may be a good candidate for bone grafting.
What to Expect During Recovery
Once the procedure is completed, you will be given medications and detailed post-surgical instructions to promote quick healing and assist you in your recovery. You should avoid brushing, rinsing, or touching the grafted site for at least 24 hours after the procedure. Maintaining a soft food diet and avoiding drinking out of a straw during your recovery can also minimize discomfort and alleviate jawbone pressure.
Following your post-operative instructions and taking your medications as directed can prevent infection from developing. During your recovery, Dr. Lifferth will monitor your healing through a series of follow-up appointments. Each patient responds to surgery differently, but in most cases, it will take about four to nine months for the graft to fully integrate with your jawbone. Once you have fully healed, you can begin pursuing dental implant placement or other procedures you require.
Improve Your Oral Health
If you have experienced extensive tooth loss but are unable to qualify for traditional dental implants, you may be a good candidate for bone grafting. To schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Lifferth, contact us online or call (435) 222-0450 today.