Are Dental Bone Grafts Painful?
Concern over the pain involved in having a dental bone graft performed ranks high among the questions and concerns patients have after being told they may need a bone graft procedure performed. If you are concerned about the amount of pain you will experience during your dental bone graft procedure, please know that your periodontist will use local anesthetics to ensure that you do not experience any discomfort while the procedure is being performed. If at any point during your procedure you do experience pain, immediately let your periodontist know and they can inject more anesthetic into the site until you are completely numbed.
Another thing to consider for patients who have dental phobia or may have difficulty sitting still in a chair for extended periods of time is dental sedation. Every periodontal clinic should have a range of dental sedation they can provide their patients, ranging from oral sedation, which is very mild and will put you in a relaxed state of being, Nitrous Oxide, which is delivered as a gas through your nose and will also put you in a relaxed state, and/or IV or IM sedation, which is a heavier form of sedation that will place you into a state of being half-asleep and cause you to have no memory of the procedure even being performed.
One of the biggest determinants of how long your recovery process will take following a dental bone graft is what type of material is used for the bone graft. If the grafting material is taken from your own body, you will need to schedule an additional appointment to harvest the grafting material, which you will need to recover from before the graft can be placed. This recovery period can be eliminated, however, if the grafting material is synthetic or from a donor.
While you can anticipate not experiencing any pain during the dental bone graft procedure, you will likely experience some pain and discomfort following the dental bone graft procedure once the effects of the local anesthetic and dental sedation have worn off. Most patients will notice this discomfort beginning to alleviate withing two to four days and be completely gone within two or three weeks, however every patient has a different healing process. Once your graft has fully healed, you can resume all normal activities and return to your standard oral hygiene routine.
Benefits of Dental Bone Graft
If you are worried about the pain you may experience during or following your bone graft procedure, it may be helpful to keep in mind all the ways in which your quality of life will improve once the bone graft and dental implant process is complete. This includes a range of things, like:
* Permanent solution that will provide you with durable results
* Your risk of losing additional bone is significantly reduced
* Also reduces your risk of developing additional periodontal issues
* Once the implant is placed, you can begin to enjoy all the foods you once did
* Can be cared for like your natural teeth
* Will not cause your speech to be affected
* Smile will look and feel completely natural