According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), Dr. Sway may talk to you about undergoing a bone graft for dental implants if he believes that your jaw bone is too thin or soft to keep the implant in place in its current state. If the bone cannot support the implant, it may cause the implant surgery to fail.

In a bone graft procedure, we take a section of bone from another area of your body, or - as is most often the case now - use a special bone grafting material and graft it onto your jaw bone. You will then have to wait, most likely several months, while the graft creates enough new, strong bone to make sure that the implant will be stable and secure. It is possible if you only need a minor graft that the procedure might be able to be done at the same time as the implant surgery, but Dr. Sway will make the final decision. A successful bone graft allows your jaw bone to be strong enough to support your dental implant.

Once the bone graft is complete, the rest of the implant surgery can proceed.