Over a period of time, the jawbone that has missing teeth begins to atrophy and is resorted. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. In situations such as this, patients are not candidates for dental implant placement at all.

Today, we have the ability to grow bone where ever it is needed. It not only gives us the ability to place dental implants of proper length and width, but it also gives us a chance to restore function and aesthetic appearance to jawbones that look sunken.

Bone Grafting

A bone graft can repair dental implant sites that have inadequate bone structure that can be caused by previous extractions, gum disease, or injury. The bone is either obtained from a tissue bank or from your own bone taken from your jaw, hip, or tibia. Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the back of the upper jaw. In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum and protect the bone graft, encouraging bone regeneration (guided bone regeneration or guided tissue regeneration).

Major Bone Grafts

Major bone grafts are often performed to repair jaw defects. These defects may be due to a traumatic injury, a surgery, or congenital defects. Large defects are repaired using the patient’s own bone, which is harvested from multiple sites depending on the size of the defect. These procedures are routinely performed in an operating room and do require a hospital stay.