To place dental implants, one of our Alexandria implant dentists will need to make sure you have sufficient jawbone structure. The depth and width of your jawbone must be such that when the implant is placed, it can be supported by your bone and accepted as a natural tooth root. When you do not have enough bone to support an implant, your dentist can discuss options such as bone grafting that will allow you to receive this beneficial procedure.
Bone Grafting
There are several options for bone grafting:
- Autogenous – Bone is harvested from your own body
- Allografts – Bone is harvested from a donor
- Xenografts – Bone is harvested from an animal source
- Alloplastic – Bone is created from manmade materials
Of these, autogenous grafts are preferable as your body is less likely to reject its own bone. Your implant dentist will be able to determine the option that will best suit your needs.
Bone grafting is safe and effective, but it adds an additional step to the dental implant process. If you require grafting, you will need to wait up to three months for the bone to solidify before we can place your dental implants. Due to the many benefits of dental implants, many of our patients find this is well worth the wait.
If you live in or around Arlington, Tysons Corner, Alexandria, Fairfax, or McLean, Virginia and would like to learn more about the dental implant process, please contact Galleria Dental Aesthetics to schedule an initial consultation with one of our implant dentists today.