Bone Grafting
Procedures
Over time, after teeth are lost the jawbone in that area atrophies or resorbs. This often results in a situation
where there is poor quality and quantity of bone available to place dental implants. In these situations, the oral surgeon must rebuild the bone, and in some cases the gum tissue to provide an adequate site for implant placement. This not only allows for predictable implants to be placed, but also allows the dentist to make teeth that are functional and esthetically pleasing to the eye.
There are a variety of bone types and procedures available to replace what has been lost. These procedures allow people to have dental implants and non removable teeth that otherwise would have had to wear a removable type of prosthesis. After a thorough evaluation, we will give you options that are available and go over the pros and cons of each treatment plan. The type of grafting procedure we use will be based on both our knowledge of what will work best and your feelings of what you are comfortable with.
There are many types of bone grafting products available. They range from your own bone obtained from a second surgical site, to cadaver or bovine bone, to purely synthetic products. Additionally, we use your own blood spun down in a centrifuge (platlet rich plasma) to concentrate all of the bone growth factors within the blood to enhance bone growth. Each of these products is used to enhance and stimulate the growth of the patients own bone into the site.
Depending on the location of bone loss as well as the amount of bone loss, we will determine which bone grafting procedures will work best to replace the missing bone. Because of the anatomical differences in the upper and lower jaws, (ie, there are nerves running through the lower jaw, and sinuses above the upper jaw) there are likewise different surgical procedures to replace bone in a safe and predictable fashion. On your consultation visit, we will evaluate the amount of bone loss, how much needs to be replaced, and the types of procedures available to replace what has been lost.
Many times, these procedures can be combined with extractions and implant placement to minimize the amount and number of surgeries a patient must undergo. All of these procedures can be done in our office under local anesthesia ( novocaine), IV Sedation (twilight sleep) or General Anesthesia. The post operative course is generally several days of minimal discomfort and swelling.
