Dental bone grafts are a routine, out-patient procedure, performed by dentists. They are often performed before a person can get dental implants installed. One of the most common questions, people who need dental bone grafts ask is, are they painful? Read on to learn more about the bone grafting procedure and what type of pain and discomfort you might experience from it.
What are the reasons for dental bone grafts?
Dental bone grafts are performed when someone’s jawbone has deteriorated to a point where it is not dense enough to support dental prosthetics. When someone loses a tooth, their jawbone begins to deteriorate in the place where the tooth was once located. This is because without a tooth, the person’s jawbone is no longer stimulated when chewing and biting. Over time, this loss of density can pose serious problems.
This is especially true when the person wants to replace their teeth. One of the most common and popular forms of tooth replacement are dental implants. These prosthetics are popular because of how effective they are. They look, feel, and function like natural teeth. Dental implants are permanently installed in the mouth and anchored to the jawbone using a post, which the prosthetic tooth is attached to. To anchor the dental implant, there needs to be sufficient jawbone thickness for the post to fuse with.
If the jawbone is not thick enough, the dentist will perform a graft. For the procedure they remove bone from one area of the mouth and attach it to the bone that needs to become thicker. Sometimes, they use bone from another donor as well. Over time, the donor bone and existing bone fuse together and form a denser jawbone that can support an implant.
How painful is a dental bone graft?
The procedure is not as painful as it might seem. You will be sedated for the whole bone grafting procedure. This means you will not be aware of what is happening and therefore will feel no pain.
Following the procedure, it is normal to feel pain and discomfort in the areas where the procedure was performed. This pain is usually manageable, however. Your dentist may prescribe pain relievers to help manage any pain. Everyone’s experience and tolerance for pain are different so each patient and procedure are unique in their experience. Any discomfort or pain from the procedure will usually go away within a few days following the procedure.
The typical recovery for bone grafting can take between 2 weeks and 2 months. There are several factors that can influence a patient’s recovery time. The person’s overall health, age, habits, and extent of the procedure factor into the recovery time.
What does this mean for me?
If you need a bone graft to support your jawbone it is very common to be concerned about the pain you may experience. Bone grafts are very common procedures performed on patient’s daily. If you are concerned about the pain you might experience, speak with your dentist today. They will be able to tell you more about their philosophy of pain management and what you might be able to expect with your unique bone grafting experience.