When people hear they need a bone graft before getting a dental implant in Virginia Beach, their first reaction is often nervousness. It sounds complicated and maybe even a little scary. But here at Coastal Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry, we see it differently. We see bone grafting as the key to ensuring your implant lasts for decades. This is especially important when getting multiple implants or the All-on-4 implant procedure.
Think of it like building a house. You wouldn’t build a beautiful new home on soft, unstable ground. You would first bring in fill dirt to create a solid, level foundation. A bone graft does the exact same thing for your jaw. It creates the strong foundation your implant needs to support a lifetime of chewing, smiling, and laughing.
Why Does Your Jaw Need a Graft in the First Place?
Here is something many patients don’t realize: your teeth do more than just chew food. They actually send signals to your jawbone that keep it healthy and strong. Every time you bite down, the tooth root stimulates the surrounding bone, telling your body, “We need this bone right here.”
When you lose a tooth, that stimulation stops. Over time, your body naturally starts to resorb, or break down, the bone that no longer seems necessary. It’s a painless process, but it happens quietly in the background. Within the first year after losing a tooth, you can lose 25% or more of the bone width in that spot.
This is why you might be a perfect candidate for dental implants, but your jawbone isn’t quite ready yet. The bone has simply thinned out or shrunk too much to safely hold an implant post.
What Is a Bone Graft, Really?
Let’s demystify this. A bone graft is a routine procedure that adds bone or bone-like material to a specific area of your jaw. The material we use at our Virginia Beach office is extremely safe and well-studied. It acts as a scaffold, encouraging your own natural bone cells to grow into the area over time.
The procedure itself is straightforward. Dr. Mark Reichley or Dr. Cappy Sinclair will numb the area completely. Then, they will place the grafting material exactly where it is needed and cover it with a protective membrane. For many patients, this adds only a few extra minutes to the appointment.
After the graft is placed, your body does the rest of the work. Over the next several months, the graft material fuses with your natural bone, creating a dense, healthy foundation that is ready for an implant.
What to Expect During Healing
Most patients tell us the recovery from a bone graft feels similar to having a tooth extracted. You might notice some minor swelling or tenderness for a day or two, but over-the-counter pain relievers usually handle it just fine.
You will need to wait a few months for the graft to heal and fully integrate with your bone. We know waiting is not the fun part. But this healing period is critical for your long-term success. Rushing an implant into weak bone is never a good idea. Taking the time to build a strong foundation first is what leads to the extraordinary results we are known for.
Start Your Foundation Today
Hearing you need a bone graft is not bad news. In fact, it is good news. It means you are still a candidate for dental implants, and we are doing things the right way to ensure your new smile stays rock-solid for the rest of your life.
If you have missing teeth and have been told in the past that your bone is too thin for implants, do not give up hope. A consultation with Dr. Reichley, a Fellow in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, might reveal that a bone graft is all you need to get back on track.
To learn more about our implant dentistry, visit:
- Benefits of All-On-Four Implants
- Cost of Dental Implants
- Dental Implant FAQs
- Dental Implants Under One Roof
- Dental Implants vs Dentures
- Multiple Dental Implants
- Single Dental Implants
- Teeth In A Day
Ready to learn what’s possible? Call our North Virginia Beach office on First Colonial Rd. Your strong foundation is waiting to be built.
