Failed Bone Graft?

Posted in Bone Grafting Dental Implant Complications

« | »

Lucy, a dental implant patient, asks us:

I had a lower left molar extracted about 2 1/2 months ago. A bone graft was done at the time using synthetic graft material, in preparation for a dental implant. The dentist also put a membrane over the graft. The tissue over the extraction seems to be healing very slowly.

 

I can chew on it, but this seems to stir up some of the graft material under the tissue and causes irritation. I can feel and see a piece of graft poking under the tissue. Even when
I don’t chew on it (which is most of the time) graft particles seem to
irritate the gum tissue.

I asked the oral surgeon 2 weeks and then 5 weeks after the surgery and
he said don’t worry, you are healing slowly but it will heal and you don’t need to see me again for 4 months.

I have a couple questions because I am not sure I am getting the full story:

1)Can graft material slow down the healing of the gum tissue by irritating it?

2) When should I expect the gum tissue to have filled in? What will that prevent me from feeling any graft underneath it?

3) How does the surgeon know if a graft has ‘failed’. Does an x-ray
have to be taken? What do they see that tells them whether or not it
worked?

4) What’s involved in removing a failed graft? I am leary of getting
the dental implant now and may just want to not do anything at that spot–but
I want this irritating graft material gone if possible.

I would appreciate any answer to the above question. Thanks.

61 Responses to Failed Bone Graft?

  1. TW says:

    Lucy:

    It is difficult or may even be inappropriate to offer medical or dental advice without knowing all the facts, so the following are my response in general terms.

    1. Yes, graft material may slow down gum tissue healing, especially if the graft was loose and not well organized by a stable blood clot.
    2. When the gum is healed over the exposed graft material, you shouldn’t feel the graft. It is difficult to know when the gum tissue would feel in. It depends on what is going on with the graft material.
    3. Some signs of a failed graft are: exposed graft, lost of large amount of graft material, pus, drainage, or grossly reduced volume of graft. X-ray may or may not show if the graft is being taken well. The surgeon would look for the absence of the above, the gum tissue characteristics, and the x-ray. The moment of truth may only come at the time of implant placement when the gum tissue is opened to expose the grafted area.
    4. It usually involves giving you some local anesthesia and scraping out the graft material that looks like not being accepted by the host bone.

    Good luck

  2. amayev says:

    1st you must not chew on grafted site.
    2nd the gum most of the time going to heal after the membrane is removed
    3rd as previously mention the best time to see if the graft took place is after exposing the area
    4th if graft did not took place the area will occupy by soft tissue.

  3. Patricia Lovett says:

    Dear Doctors: Is it possible to remove a dental implant that has integrated with the bone? I’ve had this implant for about two years now and it is causing me pain. Thank your for your attention.

  4. Dr.Amayev says:

    It is possible to remove integrated implants. The dentist must use special trephine bur to retrieve this implants. If you have pain you must see your dentist and explain that to him or her. If the pain comes from implant directly its usually considered to be failed implant, and something must be done. It is very difficult to judge without seeing what happening. But you definitely must see your dentist end explain what is going on. May be this not the implant? may be the crown that causing a lot of pressure? check with your dentist. All the best.

  5. Patricia Lovett says:

    Dear Dr. Amayev: Thank you for your response. It is comforting to know that removal of implant is possible but I worry that the pain will not go away. I’m also concerned about losing a lot of bone and possibly healthy adjacent teeth. Once again, thank you for your response.

  6. A preferred method for removal of failed implants is the Er,Cr;YSGG laser. It’s advantages are:
    1. It does not heat up bone
    2. It will not contaminate the site with titanium debris that can cause foreign body reactions
    3. Because there is no coagulative effect, an implant of larger diameter can be placed immediately or the site can be grafted without fear of latent infection because of the bacteriocidal effects of laser therapy.
    We stopped using trephines years ago and have also had excellent results with this wavelength treating peri-implantitis (published studies). The erbium based laser has replaced a significant part of our traditional surgical armamentarium in oral implantology.

  7. Patricia Lovett says:

    Dr. Miller: Thank you for your response. I will inquire as to whether or not laser surgery is available for implant removal. Really would love to save the tooth next to my implant as it is in really good shape. Also, the less bone I lose the better. I realize, however, that this is probably an impossibility. Thank you again for your time. Sincerely, P. Lovett

  8. Anonymous says:

    Bone graft was put in after wisdom tooth extraction. Severe pain resulted. Dentist would not help so I had to try and find someone to remove. No one wanted to touch it. Was put on many antibiotics, did not help. Finally a year later it was removed. I still have much pain but not as bad. This has been 2-1/2 years ago. Will it ever go away?

  9. Karen says:

    Please someone respond! I had a complete upper ridge bone graft more than 6 weeks ago. The entire right side tisseu has opened and the bone is exposed, jagged. I see the titanium tacks. My face feels tight. The middle of my ridge appears to be starting to open. Help. At what point is this considered a failure. Please answer!

  10. Anonymous says:

    Karen, you need to go and see your surgeon ASAP.

  11. Karen says:

    I am under the care of the oral surgeon. I had the first 6 weeks ago, a second 3 weeks ago as bone began to be exposed. Now tomorrow I’m having the 3rd as everything has opened on the right side. The surgeon keeps saying it will “granulate over” which hasn’t been successful. My question was when is this considered a failure?

  12. Karen says:

    I’m sorry I didn’t clarify the previous comment. Because of abuse at age 12 I had several of my upper teeth removed. That was 43 years ago. Then because of problems the remainder uppers were removed 35 years ago. That’s why to extreme bone loss. I had the original graft (Hip) 6 weeks ago. Then after 3 weeks the surgeon had to (under anesthesia) remove or scrape some of the newly exposed bone. Tomorrow I’m having a 3rd surgery as the entire right side ridge has opened and the bone is exposed again. Painful as well. My question is: when is it time to say this has failed? The surgeon says it will “granulate over” & heal. Have you heard of this? Last week the surgeon said I was in an uphill battle. Do you have any experiece in this? Information? Thanks for whatever you can tell me.

  13. alvaro ordonez says:

    Hi karen,
    it seems like the graft itself is probably contaminated or infected or necrotic(it has probably became a source of a chronic infection). The curettage is done in cases of necrosis to remove the necrotic tissue and induce bleeding.
    It happens some times in smokers, diabetic patients, patients with coagulation problems, also when primary closure is not achieved or when the stitches open for some reason before healing is completed.
    Be patient since you may at the end have enough tissue to work with and do the intended job!
    The best you could do on your side is to rinse the area with salt water.
    on the other hand, you could get a second opinion with somebody else in your area since it is hard to talk of a case without having seen the patient and clinical history.

  14. rashid says:

    I am dentist practicing in implants, my last implant has come out 45 days after surgery , with out any thing indicating a failure implant within this period
    could you please help me a bout the possible reason
    thank you

  15. By the way,consider changing your system into a more established, sophisticated one.

  16. Steve says:

    I had a bone graft done 2 weeks ago in preperation for implants. Today I was rinsing my mouth and the collegen membrane the oral surgeon placed over the site started to fall off. Its not completely off but is partially hanging down and is very annoying. It is friday night and the office to my oral surgeon is not open until monday morning and I am not sure I can deal with it hanging until then, The site dosnt hurt or look bad etc besides the membrane seeming to come unstitched. What do I do, and is this a serious problem?

  17. Disappointed says:

    I have had two bone grafts, both of which have failed due to ‘exposure’ of the graft material. In fact, a doctor who has posted on this site was the surgeon who performed my grafts. I am young, healthy and a non-smoker, and there is therefore no obvious reason for these repeated failures. Every Dental Implant specialists I have seen since the second failure has claimed that the synthetic material he used, (THC or TCH?), really hasn’t been used since the 1960s and that this is most likely the cause of my graft failures (as the gum has been unable to close over the synthetic material and my body has not been able to form blood vessels through the synethetic material). Is it the mark of an inexperienced surgeon to use synthetic material in a bone graft in this day in age? Any comments would be helpful, Thank-you.

  18. Disappointed says:

    I forgot to include that the bone graft was supposed to be in preparation for an Implant to one of my upper very front teeth.

  19. Disappointed says:

    Oh, and I apologize, the material used is TCP not TCH

  20. Ruth says:

    Please help. I had an implant placed six years ago due to a loose baby tooth with no adult tooth underneath. Everything was going fine until 1 1/2 yrs. ago, when the crown started to wiggle. My dentist sent me to the periodontist, who decided to drill down into the crown to determine whether it was the crown or implant. I’m not sure what that was all about, except that the drilling was extensive and the pressure was incredible. Ultimately, the doctor destroyed the crown and broke the head of the screw. He determined it was not the implant, but the crown. A new crown was made, and was stable after being fixed. A month ago, I was at a cleaning, and through x-rays and probing, found that I had bone loss around the implant–diagnosed as failing. Could this recent late failing be due to the pressure from the drilling? The doctor has cited me no causes whatsoever. My periodontist has now done a bone graft all around the implant. I have been in much pain for an entire week since the surgery. The pain is now subsiding, but it is severely uncomfortable to chew, and the toot next to the implant seems a little loose. Could this be a result of the bone graft? Will I ever go back to not noticing the implant? Thank you for responding.

  21. ALI says:

    failed bone grafts are always the postrequisit of the undue masticatory loads being put on to the graft area within 72 hrs of the time period. so the moral of the story is that not only the graft placement is important but the postoperative instruction and patient education stands equall importance. thanks

  22. John says:

    Hi- I am 3 weeks post op on a bone graft on my upper right premolars. During the last couple days I have noticed increasing amounts of graft material coming out- how much is too much? My perio said to give it one more week and see if it heals- it has been half a week and it has gotten worse. Any suggestion on what I should do? I have an appointment in a few days, but am I in danger of losing the majority of graft material? I’ve got a flipper which I am keeping off. I am moving back to less solid food (even though I was eating very gingerly to avoid using that side). I am also avoiding wearing my night guard in case it somehow disturbs the area. It just seems to be getting worse.

  23. darlingdd says:

    I am a 43-yo healthy, non-smoking female who has had a dental implant on my I-9 tooth. The implant was completed late May this year and the dentist has not set up any post examinations for follow-up after me paying close to $7K … except for wanting me to come back and replace a few silver fillings, which I will see a different dentist to do these since he he quite costly. I am surprised that at the expense I paid a few follow-up visits are not included in the “price” seeing that everything is fine. I write because things are not fine. About 2 weeks after the permanent crown being placed I have had an ongoing infection right above the tooth in my gum. The gum has had a small bubble right above the tooth, which seems to calm down after I brush and gargle with the clorahex (sp) rinse. However the swelling above the I-9 has not truly ever gone away … the bubble comes and goes. Twice the little bubble exuded pus … which after a good brushing and rinse I thought was a good thing and would now heal. Yet the gum area is still quite swollen at the very top portion of my gum just under my nostril (the roof of my mouth in this area seems ok). The dentist did do a bone graft with a synthetic material at the time of extraction which was last year about this time. During the 7-months of the implant process when the gum would bubble up the dentist said not to worry. Recently, a periodontist friend visting from Sweden said that it could be bits of the bone graft coming out. I am getting quite concerned but walk around in silence as when I smile the swelling is not noticeable. The implant seems firm and looks beautiful … but something is not quite right. I heard that the clorahex can stain the teeth blue, so today I bought some Hydrogen Peroxide to gargle with to hopefully help heal the site. I am not on antibiotics or medication of any any sort. Thanks in advance for any advice. I’d rather not go back to this dentist and clear up the infection on my own … but maybe this is not possible. ~ darlingdd

  24. Eugene says:

    Hi, please someone advise.

    I have had a bone graft to the upper front teeth. I have also had an implant on one of my rear molars.

    After much time and expense, my dentist now feels that my implant may be failing on my front tooth. This showed up as slight darkening around the implant site on x-ray, but I feel no pain or movement.

    What are the procedures for correcting this, and how likely is it that I may not be suitable for implants in this area?

    I am a 42y/old non smoking male.

    Thanks

  25. Karen M says:

    darlingdd–
    There is a thought that what you are describing is cement from the crown not being properly cleaned around the neck of the implant after seating. This is something you should seriously consider, if it proves not to be a bone graft material coming out.

    Just a thought!

  26. darlingdd says:

    Thank you, Karen … The hydrogen peroxide seems to be helping. Perhaps this is my fault for not brushing fastidiously enough. I have a sonicare toothbrush and brush my teeth at least twice a day, and don’t gargle typically except for when the gum has been quite swollen. The smell from that part of the gum is not pleasant when I poke around with my fingers massaging the site compared to the other areas of my mouth. Hopefully it will heal soon and I hope if it was due to my delinquancy that I have not caused too much damage.
    PS: The days of all my parent’s dentist friends from Loma Linda University (mostly Swedes) is now over and I will miss their expertise as I am now coming into the age where I need to focus on maintaining healthy gums … I felt confident in their guidance, always, although the dentist who did my implant was referred to my mother by the doctor who did her implants in Newport Beach. Sadly to say, I think he is more driven by the money than the people who actually create his livelihood … to me there is a major unbalance there.

    I appreciate your thought very much.
    Thank you for responding.
    ~ darlingdd

  27. Karen M says:

    darlingdd —

    more thoughts on this — I know you don’t like using the chlorohexadine because of the staining, but that is really from prolonged use. If you use it on a q-tip and just rub it in the immediate area, it can really help. Especially if you have a bad taste coming from the area or foul smell. It sounds like something that needs to be addressed or you run the risk of losing your implant.

    I have seen a lot of research on the cement issue. It was mentioned at the Nobel Biocare conference this spring as well.

    I hope it gets better for you! Goodluck.
    Karen (by the way, I am an Implant Coordinator) :)

  28. dave says:

    I had 4 implants and a bone graft on the right upper side. For 3 weeks I was in pain and the gum was swollen and infected. Today, an inplant came out. I went to the surgeon and he removed the others and stiched up the gums. What do you think happened and can I get future implants or is it a hopeless case? The bone graft material was bovine and my blood.

  29. dave says:

    I have 4 implants upper right and bone grafting with bovine/human. I got them 3 weeks ago and the entire time was in pain. I was given narcotics etc and told to rinse. Today, an implant failed and came out. I went to the Dr. and he removed the other ones. Am I still able to get implants in the future when the infection clears?

  30. skibo says:

    Does bone graft material, either synthetic or cadaver bone, show up on xrays?

  31. Ambrish says:

    Dear Friend,It was really nice to read your comments.I am a general dentist practicing implants.I have a case of a 3implantsupported baroverdenture.Now after a year both the lateral implants show improper osseointegration and look failed.What should I do in such cases.Kindly comment and advice on my email. Also comment on the best possible Graft material for an atrophied maxilla 2.5mm size on the calipers to be followed up by implants.
    Awaiting a speedy reply.
    Ambrish Maniar

  32. jenny gage says:

    hi, i had 2 dental implants about 2 weeks ago and i had no problems, but one of them is not taking as well as the other, the gum around one is not growing very fast and has left the bottom of the implant exposed, also it is slightly’wobbly’. I?t moves when any pressure is put on it. is this implant failing? or is the bone just not grown backa round it yet? please reply

  33. Dannie says:

    Hi. About 5 months ago, I had a bone graft from my own lower jaw bone in prep for an implant on my upper lateral incisor. However, this site has not healed, as I can see the bone and the screw used to attach it. The site doesnt hurt and doesnt look infected at all. Could I be simply healing slower than normal or should I be concerned that this graft is a failure? Thanks

  34. Rick says:

    Hello all, I had a cadaver bone graft installed in the top front of my mouth 4 days ago and was sent home with limited narcotics and no antibiotics at all. Just the peridontal rinse. I have developed a nasty taste in my mouth that almost makes me want to gag. The pain has lessened a little and the sweeling in my face has amost completely gone away but this taste is new. Does anyone have any idea what I should do. I live 4 hours away from the dentist who did the work.
    Thanks,
    racefan1965

  35. Peter Fairbairn says:

    Having placed implants since 91 I have seen a few things and how to deal with them but reading the above comments is scary. These are all issues GO and see the surgeon as things cannot be rectified if he does not know about it.

  36. Man o' Steel says:

    PF is right! Go back to the dentist/surgeon who placed the graft. He is in the best position to help you at this point. Don’t get confrontational or condemnational. At this point it’s not warranted!! Keep in mind that complications and problems do arise despite the best of efforts. Lastly if you haven’t learned this yet: There’s no garuantees in life! At least not in this one! from Man O’ Steel A “Fellow” Dentist/ Prosthodontist 28 yrs. Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists

  37. Jim Lambert says:

    My sister recently (two weeks ago) had oral surgery that included grafting bone from a cadaver. The surgery was performed by a highly-respected oral surgeon. She was sent home and within days had complications of swelling in her whole body, pain in her joints and more recently, severe head pain. She has been in a regional hospital for over a week and they still do not know what is wrong. They have since extracted the bone graft but she continues to suffer with severe pain in her head and neck area, and finds it extremely difficult to walk. She is on Prednizone to help with the inflammation and taking morphine for pain. Most are in agreement that her condition is caused by an infection from the bone graft. They have taken tests upon tests, including AIDS, West Nile Virus, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and just about anything else that may be a cause for her illness; all tests coming back negative! Please offer me and my family some answers as we are all hoping for a recovery soon. She has been hospitalized for over a week and they can’t seem to do anything for her…please advise. Thank you, Jim in Montana! (June 26, 2008) P.S. Tomorrow is her birthday!

  38. Madeline Lois says:

    I need a bone graft for a possible implant after an extraction of top tooth third from the back. I am confused.I do not like the idea of cadaver bone. Would synthetic graft material be as good?

    Thank you for any response.

  39. Peter Fairbairn says:

    Dear Madeline synthetics have moved on significantly in the last few years.After using cadaver bone for years for the last 4 years I have only used these new generation synthetics with great results (shown in talks).
    In Sinus augmentation we have noticed ( a few dentists and about 100 cases) that there is significanly less post operative pain. This could possibly be due to a lack of foriegn body response to the synthetics graft materials but more research is needed.
    But they are a future and a viable option.
    Good luck

  40. R. Hughes says:

    Dear Madeline, synethetic will work just fine but it will take a little longer to turn over and make bone.

  41. Sally Landers says:

    I had a bone graft last week. The tooth near the graft area seems loose now. It wasn’t like that prior to the surgery. Does this sound like a problem?

  42. John Henry says:

    The best way to avoid ‘bone graft’ complications is not to have one.

    (To the moderator of this site:
    Thank you for deleting my last post. The information in it could have saved lives.)

  43. John Henry says:

    Dear Sally,

    I lost both teeth on each side of the tooth area where I had a failed bone graft and failed implant.

    Your tooth is possibly loose due to the close proximity of the bone graft – due to indirect trauma to the surgical area.

    If your previous bone graft healed well, then your current graft, and neighboring teeth, should be fine.

    take care, John Henry

  44. Lydia says:

    Hi. I had a tooth extraction, bone graft, and implant on tooth # 3 a week ago. I had gotten a root canal on that tooth and never went back for the crown and post which led to me fracturing the tooth. During the procedure the surgeon gave me Novocain 4 separate times, and while he was drilling in the implant he hit something which really hurt to the point I started to cry. Ever since the procedure I have had pain in that area. The actual site of the implant does not really hurt to the touch, but the teeth on each side of the site do hurt. My gums and jaw are still hurting as well. Now today I have noticed a sulfur like taste in my mouth coming from the site. I have been rinsing with the prescription mouth wash and not chewing on that side. Dont know if this pain and taste is normal??

  45. linni says:

    Why do i get a very bad odor coming out of the site of my bone graft recently? The bone graft was done 4 months ago in preparation for implant and my gum there could not closed due to overgrown of the bone. My surgeon smoothed this bone out 2 weeks ago and he said the gum will close up eventually. However, i don’t see any improvement in the closing of the gum or clearing out of the odor. Is this a sign of complication? How to fix this odor problem? It is very unpleasant

  46. Daniela Ianorescu says:

    I had a bone implant 16 months ago. After nine months, pus came out. The dentist gave me penicillin which kind of stopped the infection, but I couldn’t open my mouth too much because the jaw joint was hurting. This pain lasted approx two months. My dentist kept saying everything is OK. The dentist said it is nothing. After 11 months, it had burst again, and pieces of bone started coming out.. My dentist cut me open, drilled through the bone, and said there is nothing wrong. She called me though after two days and put me on Clindanicyn for three weeks.. sent me to the specialist.. finally admitting that she consulted other doctors and something might be wrong. Please, ca anybody advise?

  47. Jim Parker says:

    Pus can never be ok or alright. Wow your dentist needs a good scolding, I hope you are ok and your implant is a success. She should comp you on it! no charge.

  48. jdh says:

    I recently had several procedures done at the same time by an Oral Surgeon. First, I had #5 extraced due to a fractured root, and an implant and bone graft placed right after since the OS saw no infection in the extraction site, Then he tunneled alloderm through a seperate incision right next to the implant site to teeth #4,and #3 due to recession. Then the OS tunneled alloderm to teeth #25,26.27 also due to recession. I returned home at 6:45Pm following the surgery and was asleep by 7:30pm. I awoke at 6:00am the next morning and felt good considering all that had been done. By 4:00pm that afternoon I was feeling alot of pain in my upper right incision and sinus. I had a knot in my cheek and my face was swelling rapidly. The next morning I was in extreme pain and there was dried pus on the inside of my cheek, so I knew there was an infection. I went in the next day and the OS removed the alloderm from the upper teeth #3 and #4 and cleaned out the infection and placed a drain. He thought maybe that I had a hematoma that caused the infection. At that time the lower gum graft looked and felt fine. But I noticed that when I returned home part of the graft material had been removed, propably from the irrigation of the infection on my upper teeth. There was also a space between the lower graft and my teeth that was not there before. The next day the lower graft was also starting to hurt and by Sunday it was throbbing and burning. I called my OS who told me that he could up my pain meds if needed and that to wait 2 days until my next appt. The next day my lower gums were so swollen and painful I thought they were literally burning off my teeth. There was pus oozing out of everywhere, so I went in and my OS irrigated the infection and said he wanted to wait a couple of more days before removing the alloderm graft hoping that we would not have to redo the graft. The next day only got worse so I went in and the OS removed the graft and washed out the infection and stitched up my badly swollen gums. Now I am waiting to make sure that the upper implant is not also infected since I still have a swollen area over my sinus and near the implant site. I am afraid that the infection on the lower graft could have caused bone and tissue loss around teeth #25,26,27 and that my gums will not heal, is that possible? My oral hygiene is exceptional and I brush and floss 3 times a day when I ever I eat. My gums were very healthy before the surgery. Also, what is the chance that the implant site could also be infected due to the proximity of the original infection. My OS said he was afraid that the alloderm was contaminated since I had infections in both areas. How could that happen? I am sorry this is so long. Thanks for listening.

  49. jdh says:

    Please remove the previous question.

  50. armand says:

    recently had dental surgey there was an ingrown tooth right above my front tooth i dont know if this was casuing the abcess but anyways they removed them surgically cut my gum open to remove the ingrown tooth and did bone grafting. now im on the healing process was this type of surgery really neccessary ? i didnt go get a 2nd opinion but is the titanium thing theyre putting in my mouth dangerous to my health ? and how long before i can start eating preperly like solid foods without discomfort ?

  51. faye says:

    After reading so many articles regarding implant(s), bone grafting, etc., and my pending situation being pre-labeled as a possible failure,… i have made a decision NOT to go forward. Ive worn a partial (2 bottom molars) for 20 years now. I basically wear it to keep my teeth from shifting but cannot wear it to eat!! Which is why i was looking into the implants. My teeth were pulled when i was 7 (now 49). My bone loss is so, that the partial has gaps. An updated partial is probably my best bet. I am glad i was able to read so many different articles. Thank you.

  52. Sara says:

    Hi I have had an implant fitted 2 weeks ago due to frature in fron tooth, the tooth was a crown attached to a post as I losed the tooth when I was 8. There was a smell coming from around the gum line of the crown and the denstist said there was no infection just bacteria getting in the frature, the only option was an implant. When the dentists removed the crown and post there was infection in gum and pallatte and also bone loss, the denstits said it was bad, and it is strange I wasn’t in pain or had no sign before!. I had some bone added into to pallatte and gum and implant put in. I have also had a temporay tooth bonded over the gum just for appearance not to use, this temporay can’t be removed. I had a lot of swelling and pain for a few days and was put on 2 sets on antibiotics straight away. The stithes have now been removed and the denstist sated the gum is healing fine, however the horrible smell i had previously pre-op is coming out of the site, the dentists checked yesterday and said there is no infection as there is no pus??and it could be trapped food under the temporay, I have been rinsing everytime I have eaten and the smell is coming down from the gum rather than up, I can taste with tongue and its on top on oinside lip. What concerns me is there was no pus pre-op there was just a horrible smell around gum which leads to to believe there is an infection dentiists said he cleaned all infection out. I went to doctors who gave me antibiotics for sinuses infection in case I have one has face is sore. Please help is this an infection???

  53. Anne R. says:

    I’ve had two failed bone grafts that were very painful. The first was using my own bone and the second from cow bone. I now have to get a dental bridge vs. an implant. Is the failure rate of bone grafts only 1% in very healthy people? I did everything possible to ensure success in both cases, and now am left with a $2,000 bill for nothing but alot of pain and suffering. Any information you could provide would be great. Thanks.

  54. Julie Robinson says:

    I had a jaw bone graft exactly 3 months ago. in the last month, I have lost two more particles from the graft site. is it normal to loose graft material this late after the surgery ? shouldnt my gums have healed enough to stop this from happening by now ? I am 32 female non smoker. the graft was for a loose tooth not an implant

  55. Dr. V says:

    Cow bone does not resorb and has proteins from cows inside. No human bone at all. Please ask the International Sales Director Daniel Buser from Switzerland!

  56. PT says:

    Either I’ve been really lucky or have an excellent dentist (a specialist in implants and periodontics). Had upper teeth extracted and 8 implants (and bridges) installed at once in 2004 with no problems and relatively little pain. Recently had 2 lower teeth extracted with 2 implants – had some pain with back tooth extraction, not due to implant but due to jawbone trauma – Now ready for the prosthesis to be installed. Had bone grafting (from a cadaver) with no problems either time. I hate to hear so many negative comments about implants. Personally, I think too many general dentists are in over their head, and it pays to go to a specialist.

  57. George says:

    I had a front tooth implant in 1993 when I was 18. It has since worked well, but it has always been sensitive above the tooth and maybe just slightly swollen (never an issue during cleanings). Also, when I press on it with my finger or floss, there is an odor that comes out. This is always the case…it never gets to the point of too painful, but it is always slightly painful and stinky when I massage it or floss.

    Is this normal? Or is it some sort of slight failure? What should I do?

  58. Mahesh says:

    I placed an implant in maxillary lateral incisor . I could achieve excellent stability. Crystal bone very much intact. But during the Placement of the implant labial cortical plate about the size of 3 mm in diameter broke down. I used synthetic bone graft but no membrane . Will bone form around the defect? I am getting mixed opinions from my colleagues

  59. brenda ritchie says:

    Iam having seven teeth pulled on the bottom and the dentist said I am needing three bone graths done, I have been reading other people comments and i am wondering why i have to have this done or can the teeth just be pulled? I have had all the upper teth pulled in 1973 plus all the botton except for the seven across the front. It sounds like alot of people are having problems getting the gums to heal and I am on blood thinners and alot of meds for my heart[chf] so I am kind of worried.I had partials and full uppers all these years. Why are so many having white rice looking stuff coming out where they had bone grafts
    done and would I have a problem with bleeding if I quit taking blood thinners a few days before they remove the teeth and do the bone grafts?
    thanks so much, hope you can give me some advice.

  60. Jue Wang says:

    According to what I am going through now, I would suggest you to do One step at a time. Have the teeth romoved, let the gum healed ( two or three months ),
    then let the doctor evaluate if the bone grafting is needed, you may not need it.

  61. James says:

    Hi i got 3 bone graphs done and the thing is the gums did not seem to heal…..so first week after it was done i went back to periodontis..he removed stitches…then said it was not healed so he re stitched me and told me to wait 2 weeks…. i came back he removed stitches… says the gums r still not healed….soo he gave me surgery… to lossen gum and re stitched it…he had problems closing a portion of hit he kept shakin his head and made many comments saying its hard or tissue is soft plus he charged me for tissue to cover the spot…sooo i waited another two weeks…came back he removed stitches and guess what still not healed! then without saying anything he gave me the same surgery to open the gums and restitched it once more this time even cutting my gum near center of my mouth to ceal it……im supposed to go in again soon….im very concerned since he does not seem to be able to close the gap…..he says if it does not heal next time i will hav to hav titanium removed and stitches in once more…. im scared… and have lossed confidence in the situation…..is the periodontis incompetent… or am i just one of the unlucky few? please help me…. ive been through soo many surgeires in the same spot its starting to scar me mentally