Bone health is vital when considering a dental implant, and we can help with an in-house bone graft.

A Consultation Can Make All the Difference

Bone Grafting

Patients sometimes need a bone graft before having dental implants, particularly if the teeth have been missing for a long time or the patient has osteoporosis. The bone graft grows into the jawbone and helps the jaw grow new bone tissue to support the implant. If your tooth loss is recent and your jawbone is healthy, there is no need for a bone graft. Dr. Schillinger will do a thorough exam, including imaging, to determine whether bone grafts are needed.

Are Bone Grafts a Common Need before Dental Implants?

A National Institutes of Health study has shown that every other person seeking dental implants will require some bone grafting. Diminishing bone density is related to several factors, including age, general health, and how many teeth you’ve already lost and for how long. In addition, the absence of natural teeth is a common reason people may need a bone graft. When you have lost teeth, the pressure which they no longer exert when you chew may cause your bone mass to break down slowly.

The longer you wait to replace missing teeth, the less bone mass you’ll have in your jaw, resulting in thin, brittle jawbones that may not be durable enough to anchor your implant’s titanium root. The good news is that Dr. Schillinger is highly trained in bone grafting and has great success in building up bone structure so that you can enjoy the numerous benefits of dental implants.

The Bone Grafting Process with Unique Diagnostics

A bone graft thickens your jawbone so it can support dental implants properly. Our first step is to thoroughly examine your mouth, teeth, and jaws with specialized and precise imagery to evaluate your bone mass so we can determine the ideal location for your dental implant.

We offer several types of bone grafting procedures depending on your unique dental needs.

Socket preservation – This common type of bone graft is where Dr. Schillinger places bone tissue in your tooth socket immediately following a dental extraction. This fills the empty spaces to start bone healing promptly and preserves the socket’s shape so it doesn’t collapse.

Ridge augmentation – To support jaw areas where you’ve been missing teeth for a while, your overall jawbone may have become thinner. Ridge augmentation bulks up your jawbone, both in width and volume, so it has enough mass to support the number of dental implants we recommend for your tooth replacement choice.

Sinus lift – This procedure raises the sinus to a higher position so a dental implant won’t pierce your sinus membrane. Dr. Schillinger can offer several types of sinus lifts depending on your needs, including:

Sinus bump
Transcrestal sinus lift

To safeguard your sinuses, Dr. Schillinger can perform all necessary procedures, creating a more reliable and solid dental implant foundation.

We Use Specialized Technology to Evaluate Your Bone Graft’s Progress

The Innovation Dental Group team will never leave it to chance when evaluating your bone graft success. So we use an Osstell handheld device that scans your bone and translates your condition into a number that indicates if you’re ready for the implant procedure. This technique is fast and non-invasive, helping Dr. Schillinger ensure your dental implants better long-term success.

Are You A Candidate for Bone Grafting to Enhance Dental Implant Success?

If other dentists have denied you dental implants because of your bone health, then our dental team is excited to offer you an alternative so that you can enjoy the benefits of dental implant restorations. In addition, we can provide several ways to reinforce your jawbone depending on your individual needs.

We encourage you to schedule a consultation to see how our bone grafting procedures can bring this top-notch teeth replacement option within reach.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I need a bone graft for my tooth implants?

For many people in O'Fallon, dental implants are the end-all, be-all of teeth replacement options. Although they aren't the only way to replace a missing tooth or teeth, they do offer several advantages:

Dental implants are fixed in the jawbone for added permanence
They don't shift or feel loose
A single tooth implant doesn't impact surrounding teeth
Dental implants are easier to clean
They look and perform like natural teeth

To ensure that any dental implant procedure is successful, Dr. Schillinger's team needs to assess your bone health to be sure that the bone structure can support your implant's artificial root.

How a Bone Graft Works

We can provide a bone graft to bulk up your jaw bone if you have insufficient bone mass for a dental implant. This procedure is required, most notably when your teeth have been missing for a long time or when you have osteoporosis.

The bone graft grows into your jawbone and helps regenerate new bone tissue to support the implant. If your tooth loss is recent and your jawbone is healthy, we may not need to perform a bone graft. But your sinus may interfere with specific implant locations even with good bone health. In this case, we may offer a sinus lift, which places new bone tissue between the implant root and your sinus to separate them.

Meet Our Doctor:

Dr. Alex Schillinger DMD
Owner/Dentist

Dr. Schillinger has a level of training and expertise that sets him apart from most O’Fallon dentists. Dr. Schillinger is a 1999 graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. Upon graduation, he also completed a General Practice Residency in Advanced Dentistry at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, where he received certification in intravenous (IV) conscious sedation.

Dr. Schillinger is also a graduate of the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Study, a leading Institute for the practice of comprehensive dental care, complex restorative treatments, and the treatment of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ). In addition, ...