How Long is Recovery from Dental Bone Grafting?

Dental bone grafting is a procedure performed by a dentist to strengthen and thicken the jawbone. It is commonly performed before a dental implant is installed, but not always just for that reason. If your dentist has told you that you may need dental bone grafting to support your jawbone, you’ll likely have a lot of questions, including how long is the recovery? Read on to learn more about the procedure and the recovery time associated with it.

What is dental bone grafting?

To fully understand the recovery process for dental bone grafting, you must first understand the procedure itself. When someone loses a tooth, the bone underneath the tooth begins to lose its density. Over time, if the tooth is not replaced, the bone density will become too thin to support a dental implant and bone grafting will be required.

Dental implants are prosthetics that are designed to replace missing teeth. What makes dental implants effective and popular is that they are anchored into the jawbone with a post. The prosthetic tooth is then attached to the post. This ensures that the prosthetic has a solid foundation which allows it to look, feel, and function like a natural tooth. Because of the post, the jawbone needs to be thick enough to support it. If it isn’t, a dentist will perform bone grafting. This process involves the dentist removing bone from another place or using donor bone from another source and attaching it to the area of the jawbone needing the graft. Over time, the bones fuse together forming a more solid bone that can support an implant.

What is the recovery process for dental bone grafting?

The procedure itself is somewhat invasive so some discomfort following the procedure is normal. Your dentist will prescribe antibiotics after the procedure to help prevent infection. They will also recommend pain management medications and practices to help ease the discomfort. Over time, the discomfort will subside, and you will be able to go about your normal routines and diet. If you need an implant, it will have to wait until you are fully healed from the bone grafting.

There are several factors that influence the length of recovery, but in general most people are fully recovered between 2 weeks and 2 months following the procedure. This will vary from person to person however, based on factors such as age, overall oral and general health, and the amount of bone grafting that needed to be performed. In general, healthy people who are younger tend to heal faster, as well as people who do not smoke or drink. Smokers and drinkers tend to have a longer healing process due to the damage caused by smoking and drinking on a person’s general ability to heal. Similarly, a person who only needs a little bone grafting is likely to heal faster than someone who needs a lot of bone grafting. Therefore, the amount of time between tooth loss and tooth replacement is very important.

What does this mean for me?

If you are need of dental bone grafting, speak with your dentist. They will be able to assess your overall needs and health and let you know more specifically what your recovery time will look like.

How Much Does Dental Bone Graft Cost?