Bone Grafting & Sinus Augmentation

Have you considered dental implants but been told that you don’t have enough bone in your jaw? At Advanced Periodontics of Washington, Dr. Rustin Levy offers complete implant dentistry that makes it possible to get an implant using advanced techniques like bone grafting and sinus augmentation.

Why Don’t I Have Enough Bone?

It’s common to experience bone loss after you lose a tooth. Dental roots hold the tooth in place and also stimulate the regeneration of healthy bone tissue in your jaw. After tooth loss, however, the jawbone can recede quite rapidly because it no longer receives the message to keep growing.

Because you must have sufficient dense bone in your jaw to support the dental implant post, Dr. Levy starts by evaluating the quality and quantity of jawbone.

To do this, he uses the latest digital imaging technology and taking 3-D cone beam images. These state-of-the-art images help him locate all the structures of your mouth, including the sinuses, adjacent tooth roots, nerves, and blood vessels, to ensure your implants won’t interfere with them. 

What Is Bone Grafting?

If our periodontist determines that you don’t have sufficient bone, he will recommend a bone grafting procedure at our Washington dental practice using local anesthesia. Dr. Levy uses bone from your body or donor bone and places it in the tooth socket.

To accelerate healing in the bone sockets, Dr. Levy uses platelet-rich fibrin, where he takes a small sample of your blood to create the healing biomaterial. He finishes the procedure by placing dissolvable sutures at the incision site.

Why Do I Need Sinus Augmentation?

Another advanced procedure we offer in implant dentistry is sinus augmentation or sinus lift. In some cases, bone loss due to periodontal disease or tooth loss occurs in close proximity to the sinuses. The result is insufficient bone into which Dr. Levy can place your implant.

Sinus augmentation surgery raises the sinus floor and uses bone grafting material to augment the bone between your jaw and sinuses. Similar to bone grafting done in tooth sockets, sinus augmentation makes it possible for you to get a dental implant placed in the future.

How Soon Can I Get a Dental Implant?

Once your bone grafting procedure is complete, you will need to be patient because it can take anywhere 3-12 months for the graft to fuse with the natural bone inside your mouth. Dr. Levy will see you for routine checkups during this period to see how you are healing, and when you are ready for implant placement.

Your Comfort Means Everything to Us

We understand that any invasive oral procedure can seem somewhat intimidating, but the entire grafting process can usually be completed in an hour or less at our Washington periodontist’s office. Rest assured, your comfort is of the utmost importance to us, and we are sensitive to your concerns.

Dr. Levy is a very gentle and thorough periodontist, but if you would feel more comfortable with dental sedation, he can prescribe a sedative for you to take before your appointment. When you arrive, you’ll feel calm and relaxed and remain that way throughout your procedure.

Call Us to Schedule a Consultation

Dental implants can have such a dramatic, positive impact on your quality of life that we want to make them available to as many people as possible. If you’ve been told you’re not a good candidate, we would love to have the opportunity to help you.  

Please call Advanced Periodontics of Washington at (202) 524-4863 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Levy.