I always get a lot of questions and confused faces when I try to explain what a bone graft is, and why it is necessary in some cases. So here it goes:
When a tooth is removed, a large socket (hole) remains in the bone from where the tooth lived. This large socket will begin to shrink during the healing phases as the bone remodels. If the tooth the is removed is next to healthy teeth, recession (tissue and bone loss) will often occur on the side of the healthy tooth that was next to the exctrated tooth. The healthy tooth is then prone to periodontal disease and sensitivity due to the recession.
All extracted teeth are recommended to have bone grafts placed. Research shows that a bone grafts are essential for bone regeneration after an extraction is performed. It is also shown that sockets that are grafted have 2x as much bone growth as those without a bone graft.
Most bone graft material is made of calcium sulfate hemihydrate, which is just a fancy word for synthetic bone material. This synthetic material is packed into the socket after the extraction is done and is sutured into place. As the material sits in the socket it encourages bone formation so that a large crater does not occur after the bone remodeling is complete.
Bone grafts can be done prior to implant placement if a large defect in the bone is present.
Hope you never have to have and extraction, but if you do, make sure you get a bone graft!!!!!
All the best,
Sarah Jebreil, DDS
www.diamondentalstudio.com