Losing bone in your jaw can change more than your smile. It can affect your confidence and how you feel day to day. At Virginia Advanced Surgical Arts, we rebuild what tooth loss or time has taken away, giving you a strong foundation for lasting results and a renewed sense of self.
Why is Bone Grafting Important?
When a tooth goes missing, the bone underneath begins to shrink over time. This shift can weaken nearby teeth, change the shape of your face, and make future dental implants harder to place.
Periodontal disease, an injury, or years of living with a gap in your smile can all lead to this kind of bone loss. Bone grafting rebuilds that lost structure, giving your jaw a solid base to support implants and preserving your natural facial contours. Rebuilding that structure early can also make future treatment simpler down the road.
Advanced Techniques for Better Outcomes
Every jaw heals differently, so we tailor our approach to your specific needs, using leading-edge techniques for the strongest possible outcome. Depending on where you need support, we may recommend:
Sinus lift, which raises the sinus membrane to create room for grafting material in the upper jaw
Ridge augmentation, which rebuilds the jawbone's ridge to prepare it for an implant
Ridge preservation, which adds bone right after an extraction to protect the site for future restoration
Types of Dental Bone Grafts
We choose your grafting material based on your goals, health history, and the extent of bone loss. Options include:
Autograft: bone taken from your own body for natural integration
Allograft: bone sourced from a screened donor bank
Xenograft: bone derived from an animal source, most often bovine
Synthetic graft: a biocompatible material designed to encourage new growth
The Process & Healing
Your journey starts with a thorough consultation, where we review your imaging and talk through the best option for your situation. On the day of surgery, we offer several sedation choices to help you stay relaxed and at ease. Most grafting procedures take about an hour, and initial healing takes one to two weeks.
Full integration with your jawbone can take three to six months, depending on how much bone you need. We stay in close contact throughout, checking your progress until you're ready for the next step in your treatment plan.
Schedule a Consultation
Your first visit is about listening, not just planning. We'll walk you through your imaging, answer every question, and map out a treatment plan built around your goals. Our surgeons bring years of advanced training in grafting techniques to every procedure, paired with a genuine desire to see you thrive. You deserve care where you're treated as more than just a patient.
Common Questions About Bone Grafting
Most patients will feel mild soreness after surgery, which we help you manage with medication and clear aftercare instructions. Sedation options and modern techniques are designed to keep you comfortable throughout the process, and any discomfort typically fades within a few days.
Initial healing takes about one to two weeks, though this varies by patient. Full bone integration, which is needed before implant placement, generally takes three to six months. We check your progress at each follow-up to make sure you're healing on track.
Not everyone does. During your consultation, we'll review your jaw structure and bone density to see whether grafting is right for you. If your jaw already has enough bone to support an implant, we can often move straight to placement.
