Hi Jane,
I am in dentistry and will try to explain issues concerning bone grafting.
When you remove a tooth the loss of bone is at least if not greater than 50% which makes replacement of the tooth a bit complicated.... especially if the replacement is going to be a dental implant. If you remove multiple teeth
in the same area, the bone loss can be even greater.
The purpose for doing the bone grafting is to encourage the growth of your own bone to integrate with the graft material as a means of replacing the bone that would be lost if no graft were put in.
Ideally, the site to be grafted should be healthy at the time of the grafting. The more disease that is present in that site the slower the site will heal and the higher the failure rate.
When teeth are infected for a long period of time, the surrounding bone becomes infected also. Depending on the individual case the infected bone and necrotic tissue can sometimes be removed in pretty much in it's entirety during the removal of the teeth. If this thorough surgical debridement can be achieved and a healthy blood supply can be obtained, then the bone grafting has an average to high success rate.
The only real way to tell if the above can be done.... is during the removal of the teeth when the surgeon physically sees and feels the porosity or density of the bone.
In general.... it is ideal to place the graft at the time of the extractions providing the opportunity is a healthy one at the time. If the surgeon feels the graft may not take or may become infected because he cannot achieve an adequate surgical debridement, then he may remove the teeth and post pone the grafting for a few weeks or so or completely nix the grafting idea altogether.
Surgeons hope to achieve thorough debridement... that is the goal. Most of the time this can be done..... and when it cannot, then it's a judgement call by the surgeon.
At this point.... the best thing you can do for yourself going into this surgery is to be as healthy as you possibly can be and the earlier you start the better. Eat only nutritional foods, drink plenty of filtered water, and avoid processed/sugar and preservative ridden foods from your diet. Before the surgery it is best to prepare a nutritious meal plan for yourself that consists of soft foods only that you can eat for the few weeks post op the surgery. It is ideal to have the foods prepared and frozen so you can just take them out and heat them up.
Some food ideas....and there are lot of great healthy recipes on line...
Home made soups with lots of veggies. Freeze in individual portions.
Home made stew.... same thing.
Have ingredients to make smoothies..... fruits (fresh or frozen), flaxseed meal, protein powder.
Have lots of veggies and fruit in the house for meals and for juicing.
Eggs, potatoes, fish, organic sugar free yogurt, things like this that do not require a lot of chewing.
Ask your husband to eat the same diet as you..... and make things easier for yourself
I would also suggest taking a probiotic beginning today and continuing for several months or longer. The antibiotic can cause digestive upset even after you stop taking it.... the probiotic can help prevent or reduce that problem from occurring.
I hope this information is helpful for you. I know this is a scary journey. If we can be of help to you, please just check back and let us know
Bryanna