BONE GRAFTING:
WHAT TO EXPECT?
What Could Be Done If You Don’t Have Enough Bone?
We already covered the basics of a routine implant surgery here. However, in some cases, after the removal or loss of teeth, patient is left without enough bone in the jaw to secure an implant. There are procedures that can be done if this is the case:
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A procedure called “sinus lift” will increase the height of bone available by regeneration new bone in the sinus. We discuss this procedure here.
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Bone graft– is taking a piece of bone from somewhere else and securing it to a deficient area. This will allow the new piece of bone to join the deficient region and eventually place implant in a favorable position.
Getting Extra Bone
Bone can be harvested from many different sources. Some of most common areas include:
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from behind the back teeth in the lower jaw
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from the chin
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hip or shinbone
It is quite obvious that collecting bone from the donor sites can cause a lot of discomfort.
That’s why at Archer Dental we use an alternative to your own bone grafting.
Alternatives To Using Your Own Bone For Grafting
Most patients would prefer an easier but slightly slower solution. Nowadays there are synthetic materials that are safe for use in humans. It is worth to mention, that all of these materials (including your natural bone) simply provide a frame into which new bone will grow in order to be ready to receive dental implants a few months later.
After Bone Grafting
After bone grafting has been done, it can take from 3 to 12 months before you are ready to receive dental implants. It is very important to allow the bone to fully grow and not to hurry to move to the next stage. Some patients need a large amount of bone which will take longer to mature.
At Archer Dental we also use a supplementary technique called "guided tissue regeneration". This technique involves using barrier membranes to direct the growth of new bone sites with insufficient volumes or dimensions of bone for proper function, esthetics or prosthetic restoration.
Does bone grafting affect the length of treatment?
Bone grafting most definitely increases the length of time of your treatment will take. In some cases it is mandatory to perform bone grafting to improve the outcome your implant surgery. Bone grafting can also allow for creation of much better aesthetics, when used in the front of the jaw.
Please note, that bone grafting requires a considerably higher degree of skill from the dentist and is often more complex to perform than the placement of the implant itself.
In some cases, our dentist will recommend combining implant procedure with both bone grafting and the placement of a barrier membrane. Both of those supplemental treatments are performed at the same time and will considerably reduce treatment time and produce much better results.
Bottom line: whatever method is chosen to improve the bone quantity, effort and expenses are generally well worth it.