When you think about oral surgery, the first thing that comes to mind is a dentist. But the truth is, there are plenty of other types of oral surgeons out there who can help you get your smile back on track. One such type of surgery is bone grafting. Bone grafting is a procedure that uses healthy bone from elsewhere in the body to replace damaged or destroyed bone in the mouth. Bone grafting has been used for centuries as a way to reconstruct teeth and fix jaw problems. Today, it’s still one of the most popular types of oral surgery because it offers several benefits over other treatments. In this blog post, we will explore some of the benefits of bone grafting surgery and how you can use it to improve your oral health.
Types of Bone Grafting Surgery
There are a variety of bone grafting procedures available to treat oral health issues. These surgeries can be used to replace missing teeth, fix jaw fractures, and provide support for other dental reconstruction procedures. Bone grafting surgery can also be used to speed up the healing process after tooth or gum surgery. There are three main types of bone grafting: autograft (from your own body), allograft (from a donor), and xenograft (from a different species). Autografts: Autografts are made from your own bones. This is the most common type of bone graft and is the safest option. Your surgeon will remove some of your healthy bones from your hip, shoulder, or other location and use those as the source material for the graft. There is no risk of rejecting the graft, but there is a risk of infection. Allografts come from either another person or an animal. A donor may be a corpse, a tissue match from someone who has died, or even someone who has had surgery on their same side as you. The biggest advantage of allografts is that they are often more available than autologous (your own) grafts. However, because they come from another person or animal, allogeneic (contaminated) grafts have a higher risk of infection.
What to Expect Before and After Surgery
If you are scheduled for oral surgery, please keep the following in mind: Dr. Walker will give you a general anesthetic so that you will not feel any pain during the procedure.You may experience some mild bleeding and swelling after the surgery. This should decrease over time. Please contact our office if there is any discomfort or drainage. Please avoid eating or drinking foods or liquids for four hours before your appointment as Dr. Walker will need to numb your entire mouth for the procedure. However, you can sip water after the surgery if needed. Please make sure that your insurance company is aware of your surgical appointment and that they have approved it in advance. Upon waking from anesthesia, you should be feeling more alert and comfortable. You may feel some soreness and stiffness in your mouth and jaw area; however, these symptoms should resolve within a few days. If there is significant discomfort, please contact our office right away as we may need to adjust the medication or proceed with another surgical option to alleviate your symptoms. In addition, please avoid eating hard foods or chewing on anything including ice chips for two weeks post-op as this can further aggravate your symptoms. Finally, we advise patients to drink plenty of fluids through out the day to help reduce swelling and thirstiness caused by anesthesia medications.
