Graft & Jawbone

A jawbone graft is a surgical procedure that replaces missing bone in the jaw. One may need a bone graft because they’ve lost a tooth, experienced facial trauma or injury, they’ve had gum disease, or were born with developmental defects. A jawbone graft provides ample support for the replacement tooth by bulking up the bone. An implant tooth anchors the new crown in the jaw, much like the roots of natural teeth hold them in place. There are various types of bone grafting. The most common is a socket graft in which the oral surgeon places new bone where the tooth is missing in the alveolar bone—the part of the jaw that holds the teeth. It takes around 3 months or more for that new bone to bond with the surrounding bone tissue and be ready for the new implant. The healing period varies from patient to patient, but it typically takes 3 months or more.