Oral surgeons use bone grafting to help South Charlotte patients with dental implants

Oral surgeons are unique in the field of dentistry for their extensive medical and surgical training following dental school, as well as the array of procedures they are trained and qualified to perform on Charlotte patients. With a minimum of four years in a hospital-based surgical residency program, oral surgeons focus their training almost exclusively on the hard (bone), and soft (skin, muscle) tissue of the face, mouth and jaws. Maxillofacial refers to the jaw and face, and maxillofacial surgery by oral surgeons specifically involves these areas. Dental implants and bone grafting are two maxillofacial surgery procedures routinely performed by oral surgeons.

Oral surgeons pioneered field of implant dentistry

A little more than 20 years ago, oral surgeons pioneered the field of implant dentistry, and now they are forging new trails with bone grafting. Dental implants are becoming more common and even routine, with oral surgeons replacing the older, more cumbersome fixed bridges or dentures with comfortable, long-term dental implants. Using maxillofacial surgery techniques, oral surgeons surgically implant steel posts, or anchors, into the jawbone, where it fuses with the bone through a process called osseointegration. After 20 years of service, the first recipients of dental implants by oral surgeons using maxillofacial surgery are still satisfied and report the implants work as good as the day they were put in place.

Sometimes, when teeth are missing due to extraction, gum disease, or injuries, the jawbone associated with the missing teeth shrinks or is reabsorbed, resulting in a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants by oral surgeons. It used to be the case that these patients would not be good candidates for implant dentistry. Now, through oral and maxillofacial surgery advances, bone can be grown in the area it is needed with a procedure called bone grafting. Oral surgeons use bone obtained from a tissue bank, or the patients own bone from the jaw, hip, or tibia, which is located below the knee.

Bone grafting opens door to dental implants for all patients

Bone grafting may sound a bit too much like Frankenstein and his monster, but really, it is a routine and safe maxillofacial surgery procedure that has opened the door of dental implants to patients who would otherwise have no other choice but to use dentures or dental bridges. Your Charlotte area oral surgeon at SouthPark Oral Surgery has years of experience and training in bone grafting to help make dental implants a reality for those who want the convenience and comfort this oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Oral surgeons have pioneered many of the oral and maxillofacial surgery techniques we take for granted. South Charlotte residents who are interested in bone grafting and dental implants should call the oral surgeon at SouthPark Oral Surgery today for information on this specialized procedure.