Bone Grafting in Monroe, MI
When the jawbone needs a little rebuilding before an implant or after an extraction, bone grafting is usually the step that makes everything else possible. We handle it in-house at Frenchtown Smiles, in the same building where the rest of your care happens.
What Bone Grafting Actually Is
Bone Grafting in Monroe MI sounds bigger than it usually is. In most cases it’s a short procedure that adds grafting material to a spot in your jaw where bone has thinned out, been lost to gum disease, or left behind a gap after a tooth came out. The graft gives your body a scaffold to build new bone on. Over a few months, your own bone grows in and takes over.
We do this for one main reason: to give a future restoration something solid to anchor into. That’s usually a dental implant, but it can also be about protecting the shape of your jaw after an extraction so the next step (a bridge, a denture, or an implant down the road) has a fair shot.
Dr. Kyle Lambert and Dr. Danevin Putrus handle bone grafting at our Monroe office. You don’t get sent across town to a specialist you’ve never met. The same people who do your cleanings and fillings are the ones planning your graft and following up afterward.
When a Graft Is Recommended (and When It Isn't)
Not every extraction needs a graft. A back molar that won’t be replaced, with healthy bone around it, often heals fine on its own. We’ll tell you when that’s the case. No pressure to add a procedure you don’t need.
A graft tends to come up in a few specific situations. You’re losing a tooth and want an implant later, even if ‘later’ is a year or two away. You’ve had a tooth missing for a while and the bone has shrunk in that spot. You’ve had periodontal disease that ate away at the bone supporting your teeth. Or your upper back teeth are gone and the sinus floor has dropped, which means an implant up there needs a sinus lift first.
If you’re somewhere in the middle and not sure, that’s a fine reason to come in for a look. We’ll take an X-ray or a 3D scan, point at the actual bone on the screen, and explain in plain English what your options are. Sometimes the answer is ‘graft now, implant in four months.’ Sometimes it’s ‘you have plenty of bone, let’s skip the graft.’ We’ll tell you either way.
Types of Bone Grafts We Place
There are a few different kinds of grafts, and the right one depends on how much bone you need and where it’s going. A socket preservation graft goes into the empty space right after a tooth is removed, the same day. A ridge augmentation builds up a jaw area that has already lost width or height. A sinus lift adds bone under the sinus floor to support upper back implants.
The grafting material itself can come from a few sources: processed donor bone, mineral-based materials, or in some cases your own tissue. We also use PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) drawn from a small blood sample at your visit, which helps the site heal and can be combined with graft material. If PRF is part of your plan, we’ll walk through how that works at the consultation.
Most grafts at our office are straightforward and done with local anesthesia. For longer or more involved cases, sedation options are available so you can be comfortable through the appointment. We’ll match the approach to the procedure, not the other way around.
What a Bone Grafting Visit Looks Like at Frenchtown Smiles
The first visit is usually a consultation. We look at imaging, talk through what we see, and lay out the timeline. If a graft is the right call, we schedule the procedure itself for another day so you know what to expect and have time to ask questions.
On the day of the graft, you’re numbed up, the site is prepared, the graft material is placed, and the area is closed with sutures. Most patients are in the chair for under an hour for a single-site socket graft. Bigger ridge or sinus cases take longer. You go home with written care instructions, a follow-up appointment on the calendar, and a number to call if anything feels off.
Healing happens in stages. The first week is about keeping the area clean and quiet (soft foods, no straws, no poking at it with your tongue). Over the following months, your body slowly replaces the graft material with your own bone. We’ll check in along the way, and once the site is solid, we move to the next step, often a dental implant or another restoration.
How Bone Grafts Are Covered by Insurance
Bone grafting coverage varies a lot from plan to plan. Some PPOs cover a portion when the graft is tied to an extraction or medically necessary. Others classify it as part of implant treatment and cover less. We accept Delta Dental, Cigna DPPO, and Healthy Kids Dental among other plans, and our front desk is used to sorting out what’s covered before you commit.
If you’d rather see the numbers before you decide, ask for a pre-treatment estimate. We’ll submit the codes, get the response from your plan, and sit down with you to go over it. Outcomes vary based on bone health, healing, and follow-up care, but the financial side shouldn’t be the part that catches you off guard.
Why a Graft Now Saves Trouble Later
Bone loss in the jaw doesn’t reverse on its own. Once a tooth is gone, the bone in that spot starts to shrink within months. A small graft at the time of extraction is usually quicker, cheaper, and less involved than rebuilding a larger area years later. If an implant is anywhere in your future, the graft is what keeps that door open.
Grafting also protects the teeth next door. When the ridge collapses in one spot, the bite shifts, neighboring teeth tilt, and the gum line changes. Holding the shape of the jaw keeps the rest of your mouth working the way it’s supposed to.
Talk to Us About a Bone Graft
If you’ve been told you need a graft, or you’re planning ahead for an implant or extraction, come in for a straight conversation. We’ll look at the bone, walk you through the options, and run the numbers before anything gets scheduled.