Bone Augmentation (Bone Graft)

Bone Grafting For Dental Implants

Before you have dental implants surgically inserted, your dentist will examine to ensure that your mouth can support them. Most people are suitable for dental implants, but some don’t have enough healthy bone to support them. And this problem must be addressed first, typically with a dental bone graft procedure, before the dental implants can be put in.

What Causes a Lack of Healthy Bone?

There can be several reasons why you lack the bone you need for dental implants. The following is a list of the most common causes:

• • Gum disease
  • Tooth development defects
  • Long term denture use
  • A past injury or trauma to the face
  • Teeth removal if the subsequent space is left untreated.
• Dental procedures where efforts were not made to restore the bone

What is Bone Augmentation?

Bone augmentation is the process of rebuilding the bone. This helps to restore the jawline and smile and provides a solid foundation on which dental implants can be attached. Many different tooth bone graft procedures can be used to augment the bone, depending on the specific condition and needs of the patient. The most common is called bone grafts.

What to Expect from a Bone Graft for Dental Implants

A tooth bone graft is a safe and highly successful procedure. Your dentist will remove a small amount of bone from another location and attach it to the jaw. This is done in the dentist’s office using anaesthetic, and as it heals, the new sections of the bone bond to the old to make it stronger and better able to support an implant. After the bone grafting is complete, your mouth must heal entirely before any further procedures are performed, which can take anywhere from a few weeks to 2-3 months.

Other Bone Augmentation Procedures

There are several other typical bone augmentation procedures your dentist may use. These include the following:

• • The sinus lift, which is a procedure that increases the amount of bone in the upper jaw and below the sinus so implants can be placed.
  • Ridge expansion, which is a bone augmentation procedure that widens the jaw so implants can fit properly.
  • An alveolar ridge preservation, a procedure that reduces bone loss after an extraction.
• Distraction osteogenesis, which makes a short bone into a longer one by breaking the bone apart and encouraging new bone to grow in the empty space.