How To Speed Up Bone Graft Healing Before Dental Implants – 6 Top Tips

Are you wondering how to speed up bone graft healing for dental implants? This article tells you all you need to know.

If you’ve done your research, you may already know that it’s quite common for patients to require a bone graft before going ahead with the dental implant procedure. According to a 2016 study, involving 421 men and 371 females and a total of 1512 implants, 53% of patients required a bone graft procedure. 

Bone grafting can be a crucial step as you edge closer to restoring your smile with dental implants. However, the graft must heal properly before implant surgery can be performed. Recovering from a bone graft can take a long time but luckily there are certain things a patient can do to accelerate the process. Let’s dive into some tips and techniques to help you recover faster from bone graft surgery.

Understanding bone graft surgery

Before delving into our tips and techniques, let’s get better acquainted with the bone graft procedure and why it’s sometimes needed for dental implants.

Essentially, a bone graft is required when there is insufficient bone in the jawbone to support the implant. A bone graft increases the density and width of the bone in the area of the jaw where the implant is to be placed.

It’s only natural to feel a little anxious about undergoing the bone graft procedure but it’s a relatively straightforward procedure that takes between 60 to 90 minutes for minor surgery. This is usually performed under a local anesthetic, meaning you can return home the same day.

How will I feel after a bone graft?

Your mouth may feel a little sore once the effects of the anesthetic have worn off which is why we recommend patients take over-the-counter painkillers before this happens and usually for the first day following their surgery. You may require four to six months (sometimes longer) to completely heal, but hopefully, you can speed things up by following our tips and techniques.

How To Speed Up Bone Graft Healing – 6 Things To Do For A Fast Recovery

Like any surgery, the key to healing well following a bone graft is to follow your surgeon’s instructions. Other tips and techniques include:

1. Prevent infection

The main reason a bone graft fails is infection. To avoid infection, it’s critical to keep the area around the graft clean and stay away from anybody who has an infection. Signs your graft may be infected include:

• Pus or discharge from the graft site
• Foul odor from the wound
• Throbbing or persistent pain
• Chill or fever

If you suspect you may have an infection, contact your dentist to discuss possible treatment options.

2. Use ice packs to reduce swelling

It’s perfectly normal to experience swelling following oral surgery and this tends to peak within 48 hours. Since swelling can interfere with blood circulation and healing, it’s important to take action right away to reduce it. We suggest applying ice packs or a cold compress to the side of your face (holding it there for 20 minutes and leaving it off for 20 minutes) throughout the first 48 hours. After this time, try the same procedure, but with a warm compress until the swelling has subsided. Using two pillows to raise your head when lying down, can also help minimize swelling.

3. Eat healthily

Following your bone graft surgery it’s recommended to follow a soft, nutritious, mild diet for two to four days (longer if necessary) until the bone tissue around the graft shows signs of healing, after which you can return to a more varied diet.

Foods beneficial for bone graft healing include sources of lean protein such as fish, low-fat dairy products, whole grains and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Eating nutritious food helps encourage cellular growth and regeneration which, in turn, helps the surgical site heal faster.

4. Rinsing

Vigorous mouth rinsing could initiate further bleeding so it’s recommended to refrain from rinsing until 12 hours following surgery. Rinsing gently with warm salt water three to four times a day for the first week will help combat infection and improve blood flow to the site of the graft.

5. Refrain from smoking

Smoking and vaping can compromise the healing process and raise the risk of complications, so it’s important to refrain from these habits for as long as possible after getting a dental bone graft. One of the specific risks of smoking after your surgery is that it reduces the supply of oxygen to the tissues, deterring the formation of healthy granulation tissue and slowing down the overall recovery of the surgical site.

6. Oral hygiene

It’s vital to maintain good oral hygiene to prevent infection and disease which could spread to the graft. Continue to brush and floss as normal and gently brush around the graft site taking care not to let your toothbrush touch it.

The Takeaway

Waiting for a bone graft to heal can be time-consuming and frustrating but following our tips and techniques can help you to recover faster. It’s vital to be patient and persist with the tips we’ve mentioned.

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand how to speed up bone graft healing so you can look forward to receiving your dental implants and restoring a beautiful smile.

Are you considering dental implants?

Here at Chesterfield Dentistry, we provide dental implant solutions for all scenarios, whether you’re looking to replace one, several, or all of your teeth. On some occasions, if minimal bone grafting is required, it can be placed during the implant procedure.  We also offer All-on-4 dental implants that are supported by just 4 implants strategically placed to avoid the need for bone grafting. 

Why not schedule a free dental implant consult with our experienced implant team to discuss your implant options? Call us at 314-936-3621 or use our online booking service.