Bone Grafting

What is a bone graft?

When a tooth is removed or a permanent tooth fails to develop in the appropriate position, the tooth-supporting bone of the jaw begins to atrophy, or melt away. This leads to the bone in your jaw being unstable, weakened, and often unable to support a dental implant. The bone graft is placed in the area of your jaw where it is needed. Then, it acts as a platform for the nearby bone to grow upon and new bone will eventually replace the graft material. A bone graft is designed to maintain and regrow bone so that you can be a qualified candidate for dental implants.

Additionally, a bone graft is an excellent treatment method if you are in need of

• Socket Preservation. Once a tooth is extracted, artificial bone is placed in the socket as a placeholder to preserve the gum tissue and bone for a future implant.
• Ridge Expansion. In severe atrophy cases, the ridge gets resorbed, and a bone graft is placed to increase the height and/or width of the ridge.
• Sinus Lift Procedure. This involves elevating the sinus membrane and placing the bone graft onto the sinus floor, allowing implants to be effectively placed in the back part of the upper jaw.
• Nerve Repositioning. The inferior alveolar nerve gives feeling to the lower lip and chin, and may need to be moved to make room to place a dental implant in the lower jaw.

Depending on your condition, your oral surgeon may be able to perform these procedures separately or together in the same visit. Typically, they are performed separately from a dental implant procedure.

Where does the bone come from?

It’s typical to wonder where a bone graft comes from. In most cases, your oral surgeon will use a particulate freeze-dried bone from a tissue bank or a bone mineral substitute. If a large quantity of bone is needed, the material is taken from your own bone either inside the mouth, from your hip, or from the tibia at the knee.

Keep in mind that oral surgeons undergo many additional years of advanced medical training and hands-on experience outside of regular dental school and are qualified to perform these procedures and more. The best way to find out the treatment plan that is right for you is to contact one of our offices and set up a consultation.