Bone Grafting
Bone grafting is where the jawbone is built up to accommodate a dental implant or other restorative device. Bone grafting is a common procedure that is used frequently for dental implants and other periodontal procedures. The bone graft is most often from a cadaver source but, occasionally bovine and porcine sources are used. They are harvested by bone banks and are a very safe source for bone donation.
Osseous Grafting/Guided Tissue Regeneration
Patients with gum disease often experience defects in the bone around their teeth and surgery is indicated to attempt to regenerate these defects. A local anesthetic is administered to minimize the pain and once the roots are cleaned, the dentist uses a drill and sharp dental tool to reshape the bone surrounding the teeth. Bone grafting material is used where the defects are too large to be treated with only reshaping. Once the bones are back to their original state, the gums are stitched back into place. Stitches remain in place for 2 weeks.
Ridge Augmentation
When you lose teeth, and do not replace them, the jawbone deteriorates where the tooth socket once was. This makes it difficult, and in some instances impossible to get dental implants or dentures later on. There is a procedure called ridge augmentation to restore the bone structure that is needed for restorative procedures such as dental implants. This procedure involves lifting the gum from the ridge to expose the defected area of the bone. After creating access to a blood supply for healing, a bone graft is placed in the deficient ridge, covered with a protective collagen layer and stitches are placed. The ridge augmentation needs 4-6 months to for healing of the bone graft and at that time it will be determined if there is adequate bone present for implants.
Sinus Augmentation
Loss of posterior teeth may result in excessive forces placed on your remaining teeth. Fortunately, the use of dental implants and crowns allow you to replace these missing teeth. However, the position of the sinus in the upper posterior areas may be too low for proper placement of dental implants.
A simple procedure allows the sinus floor to be repositioned, creating enough space to properly place an implant. Various grafting materials are used to encourage your bone to grow more quickly into the area, helping to stabilize the dental implant. Replace with your own bone in this area the grafting material as it grows into the area.
Under certain conditions, an even simpler procedure can be utilized. When possible, the bone remaining under the sinus floor is gently “pushed up”, thus lifting the floor of the “dropped” sinus. Bone replacement materials are then placed beneath this lifted bone. Once again the bone materials are replaced as your body grow new bone into this area.
Sinus augmentation procedures are highly predictable, with studies reporting over 95% success. Following sufficient healing of a sinus augmentation (6-10 months), implants are placed in a predictable and successful manner. It is important to realize that if the sinus augmentation procedure does not result in enough bone for implant placement, additional bone may be regenerated through a second sinus augmentation procedure at the time of implant placement.