Restorative & Implants
Gum & Bone Grafting in Mundelein, IL — Protecting the Foundation of Your Smile
The short version
Gum and bone grafting rebuild the foundation your teeth depend on — restoring gum tissue lost to recession and jawbone lost to disease, trauma, or missing teeth. At Markiewicz Dental in Mundelein, IL, these procedures are performed by Dr. Ryan Bogard, our board-certified periodontist, whose specialty training centers on exactly this: soft tissue grafting and the surgical reconstruction of bone.
Healthy gums and solid bone aren’t cosmetic details — they’re what holds everything else up. When recession exposes roots or bone loss progresses unchecked, the stability of your remaining teeth is what’s actually at stake, and implants may be impossible until the foundation is rebuilt. The good news: rebuilt is exactly what grafting does.
Medically reviewed by the doctors of Markiewicz Dental
Gum Grafting — Treating Gum Recession
Why Recession Matters
Receding gums expose the root surfaces of your teeth — and roots aren’t built for exposure. They lack the enamel that protects the rest of the tooth, so recession brings sensitivity to hot and cold, a higher risk of root decay, and, if it keeps progressing, loosening teeth. Recession also changes how your smile looks, making teeth appear longer. And here’s the part worth knowing early: gum tissue doesn’t grow back on its own. Recession only moves one direction without treatment.
How Gum Grafting Works
A gum graft covers exposed roots with new tissue — taken from your palate or from a donor source, depending on your case — restoring the gumline, ending the sensitivity, and stopping the recession from progressing. Beyond the health benefits, patients are often just as pleased with the cosmetic result: a natural gumline that makes teeth look like teeth again. Dr. Bogard will walk you through the graft type that fits your situation at your consultation.
Bone Grafting — Rebuilding the Jaw
Why Bone Loss Happens
Jawbone stays strong through stimulation — every chew sends force through tooth roots into the bone, telling it to maintain itself. Lose the tooth and the signal stops; the bone in that area begins to shrink within months and keeps shrinking. Advanced gum disease destroys bone by a different route, as infection breaks down the support around teeth. Either way, the result is the same: less foundation than your future dental health needs.
How Bone Grafting Works
Bone grafting places grafting material where bone has been lost, giving your body a scaffold it gradually replaces with its own natural bone over several months. It’s most often performed to prepare the jaw for a dental implant — rebuilding the volume an implant needs to anchor securely — but it’s also used to stabilize areas weakened by gum disease and to preserve the socket after an extraction so future options stay open.
What to Expect from a Grafting Procedure
Grafting procedures are typically performed under local anesthesia — with sedation options available if anxiety is a factor — and are consistently more comfortable than patients anticipate. Most people return to normal activity within a few days, following soft-food and site-care instructions while the area heals; the deeper biological work of tissue and bone integration continues quietly over the following weeks to months. At your consultation, you’ll get the specifics for your procedure: what happens, what it feels like, what recovery looks like, and what the timeline is to whatever comes next.
Specialist Grafting Care, In-House
Grafting is specialist work — it’s the core of what periodontists train for — and most general practices refer it out. At Markiewicz Dental, Dr. Bogard’s board certification in periodontics means diplomate-level grafting expertise is part of the practice: your evaluation, procedure, and follow-up happen in the same Mundelein office as your regular dental care, coordinated with the dentists who know your history. Serving Mundelein, Libertyville, Vernon Hills, and all of Lake County.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Gum and Bone Grafting
Does gum grafting hurt?
Can gums grow back on their own?
Where does the grafting material come from?
How long does a bone graft take to heal before an implant?
Is grafting covered by dental benefits?
What happens if I skip the graft I was told I need?
Patient reviews
From people who had this done here.
I have been a patient here for over twenty years and I would not go anywhere else. Everyone knows my name the moment I walk in, and the care has always been thorough and completely honest.
Dr. Markiewicz walked me through my implant plan on a 3D scan so I understood exactly what would happen. The surgery was far easier than I expected and the tooth looks completely natural.
I used to dread the dentist. This office changed that. They explained every step, checked in constantly, and never once made me feel rushed or judged about the work I had put off.
Receding gums or been told you need a graft before an implant? Get a specialist’s answer. Call Markiewicz Dental at (847) 566-2811 or request an appointment online to schedule an evaluation with our board-certified periodontist. Serving Mundelein and all of Lake County, IL.