Preparing the bone for implants
Bone Graft for Dental Implants in Turkey
A bone graft for dental implants builds up jawbone that has shrunk, so an implant has enough bone around it. It is common after tooth loss, because the jaw starts to shrink once a tooth comes out. However, not everyone needs one, and your dentist decides only after an in-person examination and a CBCT scan.
Bone grafting at a glance
- What it does
- Adds bone where the jaw is too thin or too low for an implant
- Main types
- Socket preservation, GBR and block grafts
- Materials
- Your own bone, donor bone, animal or synthetic
- Healing before implants
- Often 3 to 6 months, longer for large grafts
- Anaesthetic
- Usually local for small grafts from the mouth
- Trips to Istanbul
- Often two or three, months apart
Typical ranges only. Your dentist confirms your plan, timeline and number of trips only after an in-person examination and CBCT imaging.
How a bone graft for dental implants works
When a tooth comes out, the bone that held it starts to shrink. In one review, the ridge lost 29% to 63% of its width within six months. It also lost 11% to 22% of its height, mostly in the first few months.
A graft adds material where bone is missing. Then, over several months, new bone forms in the grafted area. In the upper back jaw, a sinus lift adds height under the sinus instead.
- 1
Socket preservation
Your dentist fills the socket with graft material right after an extraction. In trials, this saved about 2 mm of ridge width compared with letting the socket heal alone.
- 2
Guided bone regeneration (GBR)
Your surgeon places graft granules over thin bone and covers them with a membrane. Reviews found the best results when surgeons combined a membrane with a graft.
- 3
Block grafts
Your surgeon secures a small, solid piece of bone, often from your own jaw, to a thin ridge. It then heals for months before implants go in.
When you may need a bone graft for dental implants
Your dentist decides after an examination and a 3D (CBCT) scan, so treat this as a guide.
A graft may help if
You may not need a graft yet if
Types of bone graft for dental implants compared
Each technique suits a different kind of bone loss. So the choice depends on the size and shape of the gap.
Your bone graft and dental implants journey
A graft often adds a stage. For example, NHS information says grafting adds at least four months.
- 1Online
Remote review
You send photos and an X-ray or CBCT scan. A dentist then prepares a provisional plan.
- 2Trip 1
Examination and CBCT
In person, your dentist checks your bone, gums and any infection. Next, they confirm whether you need a graft, and which type.
- 3Trip 1
Graft surgery
Small grafts from the mouth usually need only a local anaesthetic, so you go home the same day. If the bone allows, your surgeon may place the implant at the same visit.
- 4At home
Healing
The graft usually heals for 3 to 6 months, and large grafts can take longer. Meanwhile, keep your local dentist informed.
- 5Trip 2
Implant placement
Once the bone has healed, your surgeon places the implant, which then needs its own healing time.
- 6Later trip
Final teeth
Finally, your dentist fits the crown or bridge. So a staged case may need three trips.
Healing after a bone graft for dental implants
The first two weeks
Swelling usually peaks after about two days and can last one to two weeks. Simple painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen often help. Stitches usually come out after seven to ten days.
Protecting the graft
Follow your surgeon's advice on eating and cleaning. Above all, avoid smoking, because smokers have more graft failures.
Check-ups later on
Once implants carry teeth, see a dentist or hygienist every three to six months. At these visits, they check the gums and bone around each implant.
Risks of a bone graft for dental implants
In reviews, implants in grafted bone often showed survival above 95%. Even so, grafting adds surgery, and bigger grafts bring more complications. For instance, one review of grafts that add height found complications in 12% of GBR cases and 24% of block graft cases.
Also, every graft shrinks a little while it heals. For this reason, your surgeon may build up slightly more bone than the implant needs.
These usually settle within one to two weeks. After a major graft from the hip, walking can hurt for 2 to 4 weeks.
An infection can cause the graft to fail. So contact your dentist if pain or swelling gets worse after a few days.
Sometimes the gum opens over the graft. In reviews, sites that stayed covered gained more bone.
Occasionally the graft doesn't take, and smokers face a higher risk. In that case, your surgeon may suggest another plan, such as a shorter implant.
Surgery in the lower jaw can affect a nerve and cause numbness or tingling in the lip, chin or tongue. This usually settles over time, but rarely it can be permanent.
When your surgeon takes bone from your own jaw, you have two areas to heal instead of one. So ask whether a substitute material could work for you instead.
Questions about your bone graft and dental implants
Ask any clinic, including us, for clear written answers before you book.
- 1Do I really need a graft, or is there enough bone already?
- 2Which type and material do you suggest, and why?
- 3Can the implant go in at the same visit as the graft?
- 4How long must the graft heal, and how many trips will I need?
- 5What happens, and who pays, if the graft doesn't take?
Bone graft for dental implants: your questions
No. It depends on your bone, where the implant goes and the shape of any defect.
Often 3 to 6 months, according to NHS information, and large grafts can take longer. However, a small graft can sometimes go in with the implant on the same day.
Small grafts usually need only a local anaesthetic, so you shouldn't feel sharp pain. Afterwards, swelling and soreness are common for a few days.
It can be your own bone, donor bone, bone from an animal source or a synthetic material. For socket preservation, a Cochrane review found no clear difference between materials.
Reviews found implant survival above 95% in grafted sites, similar to natural bone in block graft studies. Still, no one can promise how long an implant will last.
It can. A staged graft adds months of healing, so you may need an extra trip. However, a small graft placed with the implant may not.
Related guides
Medical review required before publication · General information only; it does not replace an examination, diagnosis or personalised treatment plan.
- Tan WL et al. A systematic review of post-extractional alveolar hard and soft tissue dimensional changes in humans (2012)
- Avila-Ortiz G et al. Effect of alveolar ridge preservation interventions following tooth extraction: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2019)
- Atieh MA et al. Interventions for replacing missing teeth: alveolar ridge preservation techniques for dental implant site development, Cochrane review (2021)
- Tonetti MS et al. Management of the extraction socket and timing of implant placement: consensus report of the XV European Workshop in Periodontology (2019)
- Thoma DS et al. Efficacy of lateral bone augmentation performed simultaneously with dental implant placement: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2019)
- Sanz-Sánchez I et al. Effectiveness of lateral bone augmentation on the alveolar crest dimension: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2015)
- Elnayef B et al. The fate of lateral ridge augmentation: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2018)
- Urban IA et al. Effectiveness of vertical ridge augmentation interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2019)
- Aloy-Prósper A et al. The outcome of intraoral onlay block bone grafts on alveolar ridge augmentations: a systematic review (2015)
- Troeltzsch M et al. Clinical efficacy of grafting materials in alveolar ridge augmentation: a systematic review (2016)
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Bone grafting for dental implants, patient information (2024)
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Bone grafting for dental implants, patient information (2024)
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Dental implants in restorative dentistry, patient information (2025)
Do you need a
bone graft for
dental implants?
Send a recent panoramic X-ray or CBCT scan and a few photos. A dentist will then review your bone and explain whether a graft looks likely. Your plan stays provisional until we examine you in person.