Bone Grafting

Providing Minor and Major Bone Grafting to Residents of Portland, Lake Oswego, and Surrounding Communities

Bone grafting is a common oral surgery procedure performed to rebuild or repair bone. Successful bone grafting restores the jaw’s structure, including the bone’s width and height. Dental bone grafting restores the jawbone when it has deteriorated due to missing teeth, disease, or a traumatic injury.

When are Dental Bone Grafts Needed?

Patients who have lost considerable jawbone mass need bone grafts, especially if they intend to undergo additional dental procedures. Dr. Geisler may perform a bone graft for the following reasons:

  • To preserve the tooth socket after a tooth extraction
  • To prepare the jawbone for dental implant surgery
  • To restore damage to the jawbone due to advanced periodontal disease
  • To rebuild the jawbone before being fitted for dentures

Minor Bone Grafting

Minor bone grafting is used to prepare the jawbone for dental implants by building up the width and height of deteriorated bone. Minor bone grafts can also replace bone in the upper jaw just below the sinuses during a sinus lift.

Minor bone grafting is performed in our Lake Oswego office outside Portland, OR. The procedure can be done using local anesthetics or, if you prefer, IV sedation for your comfort.

Major Bone Grafting

A major bone graft is usually required to repair jaw defects caused by traumatic injury, congenital defects, or tumor removal. Dr. Geisler typically harvests bone from the patient’s body for a major grafting procedure. Depending on the amount needed, the bone may be taken from the skull, hips, or knees.

Dr. Geisler performs major bone grafting in a hospital under general anesthesia. It may require a brief hospital stay.

Bone Graft Safety

A bone graft uses bone from other sources to build up the damaged area and encourage new bone growth. The bone graft material may be harvested from the patient or obtained from a bone bank, cadavers, or animals. Dr. Geisler uses only human bone tissue to avoid the slim chance of prion disease contamination sometimes found in grafts from animal bones.

You may receive bone grafts from the following sources depending on your individual needs:

  • Patient donation – bone may be taken from another area of your body, eliminating concerns about tissue rejection.
  • Cadaver bones – Bones harvested from human cadavers are sterilized, irradiated, and rigorously tested to ensure their safety.

You can learn more about types of bone grafts on our About Bone Grafting page.

What Happens if You Do Not Get a Bone Graft?

If you have lost a tooth or teeth and do not undergo socket preservation, the bone around the empty socket will regenerate to some extent, but the socket walls may collapse or become distorted. If the jawbone is deteriorating due to periodontal disease, your teeth loosen over time and eventually fall out. Bone grafting is essential to restore the full width and height of the jawbone to strengthen and stabilize the area before any type of dental reconstruction, including dental implants.

Dr. Geisler regularly performs major and minor bone dental grafting in the Portland area. For an evaluation of your jawbone to determine whether you need bone grafting, contact our Lake Oswego office at Lake Oswego Office Phone Number 503-534-0114.

For more information about Bone Grafting or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Geisler, contact our friendly Lake Oswego staff today. We look forward to meeting you!

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