AIC Implant Training on Bone Grafts

December 6, 2016
Continuing Education Course: AIC Implant Training on Bone Grafts

I honestly can’t get enough of these courses. Every course I take, I learn new gems about how to make treatment more efficient. There are many types of bone grafts that can apply to a variety of situations. No bone grafting situation is the same which is why a surgical dentist should have a variety of tools to complete a successful bone graft. One of the most important things to ensure a successful graft is stability. The bone graft and covering membrane should not be moved around during healing. In this lecture we learned different ways to stabilize a graft in multiple situations.

What does this mean to the patient? Be very gentle with your graft after the procedure. Don’t let your tongue play with the sutures or pull your cheek back to show your friends. Make sure not to chew on the area and, if possible, chew on the opposite side. These things can disturb the graft causing slower healing, less bone recovery, or in the worst case, a recurrent infection. The best ways to avoid bumping the graft is to eat soft foods, see the list below of the 50 Foods to Eat After Surgery. Also don’t brush the gums on the tooth/teeth adjacent to the bone graft. A tooth brush is too uncontrolled to be used near a surgical area. Try using dental floss and tooth picks instead.

The grafting can be the hardest part of the implant procedure but once it is done, you are over the hump and on your way to replacing your tooth / teeth!

Download our list of the Top 50 Foods to Eat After Dental Surgery.