Bone Grafting

Major & Minor Bone Grafting

Missing teeth over a period of time can cause your jaw bone to atrophy, or resorb. This often results in poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for the placement of dental implants as well as long term shifting of remaining teeth and changes to facial structure. In the past most patients, in these situations were not candidates for dental implants.

Fortunately, today we have the ability to predictably ‘grow’ bone where it is needed. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, but it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and aesthetic appearance.

Minor Bone grafting can be performed at the time of extraction &/or preparatory to &/or in conjunction with implant placement ( depending on your specific situation).This can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease, or injuries. Your own bone is  taken from adjacent areas &/or the implant site and may be supplemented by synthetic materials &/or  xenoografts (Bone in a Bottle)

In addition, special membranes may be utilised that dissolve under the gum to protect the bone graft, as well as encourage bone regeneration. This is called guided bone regeneration, or guided tissue regeneration.

These procedures are usually sufficient to deal with minimal – moderate defects involving 1-3 teeth.They are routinely done under local anaesthesia in our rooms.

Sinus bone graftsare also performed to replace bone in the posterior upper jaw. 

Major bone grafts are typically performed to repair large defects of the jaws. These defects may arise as a result of traumatic injuries, tumor surgery, or congenital defects. Large defects are repaired using the patient’s own bone. This bone is harvested from a number of different areas depending on the size needed. The skull (cranium), hip (iliac crest), and lateral knee (tibia), are common donor sites.

These more extensive procedures are usually performed in an operating room under general anaesthesia and require a hospital stay.