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 used to graft is taken from a sample from the patient. Many times, the bone is taken from another area of the mouth when drilling takes place. The bone fragments are suctioned from the mouth and used for the graft. Cadaver bone fragments are also used. They are harvested by bone banks and are a very safe source for bone donation.
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. You may have not had the financial means at the time of the extraction for restorative surgery, but you may have the money now. The good news is that we can perform a process called ridge augmentation to restore the bone structure that is needed for restorative procedures such as dental implants. The process involves lifting the gum from the ridge to expose the defected area of the bone. Then the dentist uses a bone like substance to fill the defected areas. The ridge augmentation greatly improves the appearance of the mouth and increases the chances for success with the implants. With ridge augmentation, your implants will last for years.
Sinus Augmentation
Loss of posterior teeth may result in excessive forces being 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.
