Hi leesal,

If I remember correctly, you had several teeth missing on the lower for quite some time and your original dentist performed some major oral surgery to place bone grafting in those areas. He also extracted another lower tooth. You had one complication after another, a great deal of pain and infection. I think I even stated that the likelihood of the grafting being successful was slim due to the compromised state of your existing bone level. Have I got that right?

In order for a bone graft to successfully integrate with the jaw bone, the following criteria have to be present:

1) The existing bone needs to be viable and healthy. No disease can be present.
2) The existing bone has to be adequate in height and width to hold the graft during the growth of new bone. Bone that has become compromised in height and width due to infection or periodontal disease will often not be receptive to bone grafting. Bone that has receded, lost its height and width, due to bone loss from teeth being extracted months to years previously, will not be receptive to bone grafting.

Bone grafting does not take the place of jaw bone. It is not something than can be laid down like a blanket over existing bone. The graft is placed to stimulate a persons own growth cells to grow new bone in and around the graft material. If there is no way for the existing jaw bone to carry this graft material INSIDE of healthy, viable bone, then new bone will not grow into the graft because there is no stimulation for those growth cells to form. The graft material will either disintegrate or just sit on top of the existing bone. Either way, it is not solidified enough to hold an implant.

For the oral surgeon to tell you that the grafts have not taken and it would be fruitless to attempt that surgery again indicates that your existing jaw bone has receded to the point where it cannot hold the graft or grow new bone.

I know this is so difficult to understand and my heart goes out to you.
Your original dentist should have informed you of the huge risk you were taking with that bone grafting surgery. I am so sorry if he did not inform you of them.

What does this new surgeon suggest that you do? Does he feel the grafts should be removed?

Bryanna