Dental Bone Grafting in Houston

Why bone grafting is needed

When a tooth is lost, the jawbone underneath begins to shrink because nothing is stimulating it. Over months and years this can leave too little bone to hold a dental implant securely. A bone graft rebuilds that lost volume, adding material that your body integrates into new, solid bone over a few months, so an implant has something strong to anchor into. Grafting is also used to preserve the socket right after an extraction, which keeps the ridge from collapsing and makes a future implant simpler. The sooner a missing tooth is addressed, the less grafting tends to be needed.

Types of bone grafting

A socket graft is placed at the time of extraction to preserve the ridge. A ridge augmentation rebuilds width or height where bone has already been lost. A sinus lift adds bone in the upper back jaw, where the sinus can sit too low for implants. Which one you need depends on where the bone loss is and how much, which a CBCT 3D scan shows precisely. Your oral surgeon explains exactly what your case requires before anything is done.

What it costs at Omega

Bone grafting at Omega starts at $600, with the exact figure depending on the type and extent of the graft, quoted in writing after your 3D scan. Because grafting is often part of a larger implant plan, we lay out the full cost, graft plus implant plus restoration, so there are no surprises later. Many PPO dental plans contribute toward grafting when it is part of restorative implant treatment, and we verify your benefits for free. Financing through Cherry, Affirm, and Sunbit is available.

The procedure and recovery

Bone grafting is a routine outpatient procedure done under local anesthesia, with sedation available if you prefer. The surgeon places the graft material, and in many cases it can be done at the same appointment as the extraction or even the implant placement, reducing the number of surgeries. Recovery is usually mild, managed with over-the-counter pain relief, and you follow simple aftercare while the graft integrates over a few months before the implant goes in.

Bone grafting in Midtown Houston

Our oral and maxillofacial surgeons perform bone grafting at 106 W Gray Street in Midtown Houston, and because implants are placed and restored in the same office, your graft is planned as step one of the whole implant treatment rather than a separate errand. Saturday hours, parking on site. Book a free consultation at (713) 322-7474.

What the graft material is made of

Several materials work well, and the right one depends on the site. Allograft, which is processed and sterilized human donor bone, is the most common choice and is well documented. Xenograft, usually bovine in origin, holds its space and resorbs slowly, which suits sinus lifts and larger defects. Synthetic materials are also an option, and in some cases your surgeon will add a small amount of your own bone taken from nearby, known as an autograft. Most grafts are covered with a membrane that stops gum tissue from growing into the space while new bone forms. Some membranes dissolve on their own, others are removed at a later visit. Your surgeon chooses the combination from what the CBCT scan shows and how much volume has to be rebuilt, and will explain what is going in and why before you agree to anything.

Who is a good candidate

Most people who have lost a tooth and want an implant are candidates. What matters more than your age is the health of the site and your overall health. Active gum disease is treated first, because grafting into infected tissue does not hold. Smoking measurably reduces the chance a graft takes, so we will ask you to stop for the healing period, and we will be straight with you about the risk if you cannot. Uncontrolled diabetes slows healing and is worth bringing into range beforehand. Medications matter too, particularly bisphosphonates and other antiresorptives used for osteoporosis, along with any history of head or neck radiation. Bring your full medication list to the consultation. None of these are automatic disqualifications, but they change how the case is planned, and that is a conversation better had before surgery than after.

Aftercare while the graft heals

The first two weeks protect the work. Keep pressure off the site, which means no chewing on it, and if you wear a denture or a flipper over the area, we will tell you when and how it can go back in so it does not press on the graft. Avoid vigorous rinsing, spitting, and straws for the first several days, because suction can pull graft material loose before it settles. Do not smoke. Stay on soft food, finish any antibiotic you are prescribed, and use the rinse we give you instead of brushing across the site. After a sinus lift, avoid nose blowing and heavy lifting for the period we specify. Noticing a few small granules in your mouth during the first days is normal. Increasing pain or swelling after day three is not, so call (713) 322-7474 if that happens.

Ready to talk it through?

The fastest way to a clear answer is a consultation. Call (713) 322-7474 or book online. More on Oral Surgery