Bone Grafts and Implants
What your scan tells us about the bone, how each type of graft works, the options that make grafting unnecessary, and the cost of each.
Will I Need a Bone Graft Before Having a Dental Implant in Lanark?
Quite often, no. It comes down to how wide and how tall the bone is where your tooth used to be, and the CT scan taken at your free consultation in Lanark measures exactly that. When extra bone is needed, a small graft costs £535 and is normally placed at the same appointment as the implant. A larger rebuild of the ridge costs £998, and the implant may then have to wait a few months while it firms up.
What the Scan Tells Us
An ordinary flat X-ray can't settle the question. It shows the height of the bone but not its thickness, and a ridge that looks perfectly adequate from the front may be razor-thin when measured from cheek to tongue. Our CBCT scanner, kept here in the practice, captures a 3D image in a matter of seconds (£160).
Dr Kalsi uses that image to measure the bone at the proposed implant site and to trace the nerve running through the lower jaw and the floor of the sinus above the upper teeth. He then positions a virtual implant to test the fit. The result is one of three: the implant sits comfortably in the bone you already have; it fits, but a little extra bone beside it would make it stronger; or the ridge must be built up before anything else.
How the Bone Came to Shrink
The jawbone keeps its bulk because the pressure of chewing travels down through the tooth roots into it. Once a tooth is gone, that signal stops and the body gradually reabsorbs the ridge. Most of the shrinkage happens over the first few months, largely in width, and it continues more slowly for years afterwards.
Some things make it faster: gum disease that has already eroded bone, an infection or cyst around a root, a tricky extraction, or a denture pressing on the gum. So a person who lost a tooth last spring and a person who has worn a partial denture since the 1990s may need very different treatment.
Been Told You Lack Bone?
Come for a free consultation in Lanark. Our own scanner will show how much bone you have, and we'll talk you through every option that's open to you.
Types of Graft
| Graft | Used for | When | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small graft | Topping up a thin area or a hollow next to the implant | At the implant appointment | £535 |
| Large graft | A ridge too thin or too low to support an implant | Normally done first, with the implant following a few months later | £998 |
| Sinus lift | Upper back teeth where the sinus dips low | Alongside the implant or as a separate stage, as the scan dictates | Set out in your written plan |
For most grafts we use a sterile bone substitute: a mineral scaffold that your own bone slowly grows into and replaces, protected by a fine membrane. Since no bone is harvested from another part of your body, you only have one site to heal.
Ways to Avoid a Graft
- Putting the implant in shortly after the tooth comes out, before the ridge shrinks, provided the socket is healthy and clean.
- Using a shorter or narrower implant that suits the bone available. MegaGen AnyRidge implants are designed to hold firmly even where bone is soft.
- Angling the implant to reach solid bone just ahead of the sinus or above the nerve. Full-arch treatment relies on tilted back implants for exactly this purpose, which is why it seldom involves grafting.
- Choosing another kind of replacement, a bridge for instance, where needing a graft would make an implant hard to recommend.
If any of these suits you better than grafting, we'll say so clearly and explain our reasoning.
Recovering From a Graft
Grafting is carried out under local anaesthetic, frequently at the same visit as the implant, and IV sedation (£500) is available if you'd like it. The area will probably be puffy and tender for two or three days, which everyday painkillers generally manage. For about a week, eat soft food, chew on the other side and keep fingers and tongue away from the stitches.
Of all the avoidable risks to a graft, smoking is the greatest, as it restricts the blood flow the new bone relies on. Poorly controlled diabetes and active gum disease also hold healing back, so we tackle those beforehand. At a review appointment we make sure the graft is knitting together properly.
How It Appears on Your Plan
A graft is listed as a separate item on your written plan, beside the implant and crown, so its cost is clear. One implant with its crown starts at £2,775 without grafting; adding a small graft makes £3,310, with the CT scan on top. We design full-arch plans to sidestep grafting wherever we can. Every fee is in our implant cost guide, and our CT scan guide covers what the scan reveals.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.