Bone Grafting in Fort McCoy
If you've been told you don't have enough bone for a dental implant, or you're facing an extraction and wondering what happens to the empty space afterward, bone grafting is usually the answer. It's a procedure we perform regularly for patients from Fort McCoy who want to replace missing teeth, stabilize a denture, or simply protect the jaw after a tooth comes out. Our office has served Marion County communities from Ocala for over 30 years, and Fort McCoy patients are a steady part of that practice — many come to us because they'd rather handle grafting, implant placement, and the final restoration under one roof instead of being referred from office to office.
Bone grafting rebuilds the volume and density of the jawbone in areas where it has shrunk or been lost. Your jaw relies on tooth roots for stimulation. When a tooth is removed or lost, the bone that once surrounded it begins to resorb — it narrows and shortens, sometimes noticeably within the first year. Advanced gum disease can do the same thing, dissolving bone around teeth that are still in place. A graft adds material to that site, and over the following months your body replaces it with your own new bone.
The procedure covers a wide range of situations. A socket preservation graft is placed right after an extraction to keep the ridge from collapsing, which keeps your options open for an implant later. A ridge augmentation rebuilds an area that has already thinned out, often in patients who lost teeth years ago. A sinus lift adds height in the upper back jaw, where the sinus cavity tends to expand downward after molars are lost. Grafting is also used alongside periodontal treatment, where the goal is regenerating bone lost to gum disease so teeth have better support.
Most Fort McCoy patients come to us for grafting for one of a few reasons. The largest group is planning an implant and has been told the bone is too thin or too short to hold one securely. Implants need bone on all sides to integrate properly, and grafting creates that foundation. We place implants here, so the same team that evaluates your bone handles the restoration that follows.
Another group is in our chair for an extraction — a fractured tooth, a failed root canal, severe decay — and wants to preserve the site while we're already working in the area. Grafting at the time of removal is less involved than rebuilding later. A third group has gum disease that has damaged bone around teeth they'd like to keep, and a fourth is working toward implant-supported dentures or full-arch treatment where the bone needs to support several implants across the jaw.
Benefits our patients care about most:
- Creates the bone volume needed to place a dental implant securely
- Prevents the ridge collapse and facial changes that follow tooth loss
- Supports teeth weakened by bone loss from periodontal disease
- Builds a stable base for implant-supported bridges and dentures
- Improves the fit and comfort of conventional dentures by preserving ridge shape
What the Appointment and Recovery Look Like
We start with an exam and imaging to measure exactly how much bone is present and where it's lacking. That evaluation tells us whether you need grafting at all, what type, and whether it can be combined with an extraction or implant placement in the same visit. You'll hear a clear plan before anything is scheduled.
The procedure itself is done with local anesthetic. We open a small area of gum tissue, place the graft material, and often cover it with a membrane that keeps the site protected while it heals, then close with sutures. Nitrous oxide and oral sedation are available if you'd feel more comfortable with them. Most people describe the recovery as similar to an extraction — soreness and swelling for a few days, managed with ice and the medication we recommend. We'll ask you to eat soft foods, avoid smoking, skip straws and vigorous rinsing early on, and keep the area clean as directed. Healing before implant placement typically takes several months, and we'll check your progress along the way.
Insurance, Payment, and Scheduling from Fort McCoy
We accept all major PPO insurance plans and file claims as a general practitioner. We also welcome self-pay and cash patients, and we offer flexible payment plans so a larger treatment plan can be spread out.
You don't need a referral to be seen here. Fort McCoy patients can schedule an evaluation directly with Dr. Hussein Salifu or Dr. Marco Geris, and because we also handle extractions, implants, and lab work in-house — including our on-site dental lab — we can keep the number of trips to Ocala as low as the treatment allows. Emergency appointments are available if a tooth problem can't wait.