It is the step that appears after the scan and rearranges everything that follows.
Very few people arrive expecting a graft. Most hear about it after imaging, which is exactly when the timeline and the figure they were quoted both change. Understanding why it comes up makes that conversation much less unsettling.
The bone that held a tooth root is there to hold a tooth root. Once the tooth is gone, the ridge tends to narrow and shorten over time. An implant needs bone around it on all sides, so a ridge that has thinned may not have room for one without building the site first.
In the upper back jaw, the sinus sits above the ridge. Where that space is shallow, there may not be vertical room for an implant. A sinus lift is the procedure that creates it. It is a distinct step from a ridge graft, and worth having explained to you separately.
A graft has to mature before an implant can be placed into it. That is the part that reshapes the calendar, and it is why a plan that includes grafting cannot be compressed into the same schedule as one that does not.
Ask to be shown the scan and to have the deficiency pointed out. Ask what happens if you do not graft — whether the implant is simply not possible, or possible in a different position, or possible with a different plan. Ask whether the original quote assumed a graft. If the answers are vague or you feel rushed, a second opinion on the scan is a reasonable thing to want.
Plenty of cases do not, particularly where a tooth has come out recently. The point is not that grafting is suspicious. The point is that you should be able to see why it is being recommended in your case.
Tell us the situation and we will point you to a practice that can examine you and explain the plan in person.
Request a ReferralA rough description is enough — we will follow up to match you with a practice.