Bone grafting is a procedure that is used to replace and regenerate lost bone volume. In dentistry, it is most often performed in the jaws in preparation for placement of dental implants. Bone grafting can usually be done in-office in a single appointment.
If you need a bone grafting procedure, you may have some questions, such as what a bone graft is and how much it costs. This article will address some of those concerns.
What is Bone Grafting?
With bone grafting, bone material is surgically placed over the existing bone in the part of your jaw where a tooth is missing and the bone has shrunk. This material can be bone harvested from your jaw or may be donor bone from an animal or human cadaver. The purpose of bone grafting is to expand the bone, encouraging regeneration of healthy bone tissue. In a few months, after the bone graft has sufficiently healed, a dental implant can be placed in the jaw to begin the process of replacing a missing tooth.
Average Cost of Bone Grafting
The cost of bone grafting can vary due to a variety of factors, but the average cost range is anywhere from $750 to $3,000 or more. There’s no way to know exactly how much you’ll pay until you have an evaluation by an oral surgeon.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Bone Grafting
The actual cost of a bone graft procedure will depend upon many factors:
- Type of bone graft material. The bone used in a bone graft procedure can come from a variety of sources, including from your own body or from an animal or human donor. The source of bone can affect the cost of your bone graft procedure.
- Location within your mouth. A bone graft placed within an extraction socket at the time of tooth removal is often the cheapest type of bone graft. If, rather, bone grafting is performed to rebuild a shrunken, edentulous area of your jaw, more time and technique sensitivity is required for the procedure to be successful, necessitating higher cost.
- Number of bone grafts needed. If you need bone grafts in multiple locations, each one will incur additional expense, increasing the overall cost of the procedure.
- Oral surgeon’s experience. The level of experience, qualifications, and reputation of your oral surgeon could affect the cost. Established oral surgeons may have higher fees for bone grafting procedures because they have more experience.
- Your insurance. If your dental insurance plan includes coverage for bone grafting, your overall out-of-pocket cost should be reduced.
Is Bone Grafting Worth the Cost?
When a tooth is missing from your mouth, the supporting structures for that tooth, including your jaw bone, will eventually dissolve through a process called resorption. This lack of bone structure can cause visible indentations in your jaw where the bone has shrunk. Dental implants are a highly desirable tooth replacement option, but there must be sufficient jaw bone structure to support them. Successful bone grafting makes it possible to replace teeth in an edentulous area with fixed, attractive, and functional prosthetic teeth.
Manchester Oral Surgery Provides Bone Grafting
Your dentist may refer you to an oral surgeon for a bone graft procedure, but the choice of where to go is up to you. Dr. Abel at Manchester Oral Surgery is highly qualified and has extensive experience with bone grafting. As a board certified, licensed oral surgeon, Dr. Abel works with patients like you to rebuild your jaws and to help recreate your proper dental form and function, in concert with your restorative dentist.
To learn more, call 603-622-9441 or contact us today to schedule an appointment.