After Care for Dental Bone Graft

When a patient loses bone from a difficult tooth extraction or tooth loss, a bone graft can help restore the bone. Once the bone has been restored, the dentist can place implants or perform other procedures. During a dental bone graft, the dentist places spare bone from the patient, cadaver bone or synthetic bone product in the bone-deficient area, which fuses to the existing bone as it heals, strengthening the area for future procedures.

Day of Surgery

• On the day the dentist places your bone graft, you may be put to sleep under general anesthesia, sedated orally or by IV, or awake with a local anesthetic to numb the area. Ask your doctor which option she uses and plan to have someone drive you to your appointment and home afterward and stay with you for a while if she uses sedation or general anesthesia. Plan on taking the entire day off from work, and you may also need the next day to get back to feeling normal after being under anesthesia. It may be helpful to schedule your procedure for a Friday so that you have the weekend to recover.

  Your dentist will prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection. Take all the antibiotics as directed and do not stop taking them until they are gone. The dentist may also give you a prescription for pain medication. You may need the pain medication for the first couple of days after the procedure, but if your pain is well controlled by over-the-counter pain relievers, you do not have to take the painkillers prescribed by your dentist. Be sure to tell your dentist and pharmacist about all allergies and medical conditions you have and what medicines and supplements you take to avoid a negative reaction to the medications she prescribes.

Recovery

• After your dental bone graft, avoid hard or chewy foods until the area is cleared by your doctor. Because you need to avoid putting pressure on the area until the healing is well underway, you may not be able to wear dentures for a few weeks after the procedure. Avoid brushing the area until the incision has healed, and then brush lightly without pressure.

  If you smoke, stop. Cigarette smoking slows the healing of wounds throughout the body and complicates dental procedures. People who smoke have a higher risk of bone graft failure.

  It takes 6 to 12 months for your dental bone graft to heal completely. It may take more than one bone graft to build the bone up as much as necessary for the dentist to place an implant. Your dentist will see you for follow-up appointments to check on the healing of the bone graft site and perform x-rays to check on the status of the bone in the area. Sometimes, even if you do everything right, the bone graft fails. If your bone graft fails, the dentist will remove it and try again after the area has healed.