After Bone Grafting

Home Instructions After Socket Preservation Bone Grafting

The following information applies when grafting material has been placed into extraction sites to help preserve your jawbone.

There would typically be a soft covering over your extraction / bone graft site. These are held in place with dissolving stitches. The covering and stitches are temporary, and are meant to come out on their own. This may even happen within the first day or two after surgery. If the coverings come loose and are dangling by the stitch, you may cut the stitch with a clean pair of scissors and gently remove the coverings and the stitch.

Your bone graft is made up of many particles. You may find some small granules in your mouth for the first several days. You may even experience particles working through the gum tissue over the next two (2) to three (3) months. Do not be alarmed by this. It’s normal to have some of them come out of the graft site and into your mouth. There are some things you could do to minimize the amount of particles that become dislodged:

  • Do not disturb or touch the area
  • Avoid rinsing vigorously or spitting until the gums grow over the surgical site.
  • Do not apply pressure with your tongue or fingers to the grafted area, as the material is movable during the initial healing.
  • Do not lift or pull on your lip to look at the sutures. This can actually cause damage to the surgery site and tear the sutures.
  • Do not smoke.

Starting the day after surgery, gentle rinsing would be allowed, but not too vigorously, as you can disturb some of the bone graft granules. If a partial denture or a flipper was placed in your mouth, do not wear it to eat.

It is our desire that your recovery be as smooth and pleasant as possible. Following these instructions will assist you, but if you have questions about your progress, please call the office. Please try to call during office hours in order to obtain a quicker result. After hours, we can be reached by calling our main phone number (found at the top of this page) and following the prompts to be directed to your doctor. Please note that you may have to leave a message if the doctor is in surgery or temporarily unavailable, but your doctor will return your call personally as soon as possible.