If more bone is needed in your jaw before an implant can be placed, a bone graft helps promote the growth of new bone in a designated area.
About Bone Grafts
Teeth stimulate the jaw bone during chewing, which keeps the jaw bone healthy. If a tooth has been missing for a long time, the jaw bone in that area has not been stimulated, resulting in atrophy (bone loss). This can cause an unhealthy, weaker jaw. Bone loss can also occur as a result of periodontal (gum) disease. Atrophy can cause your facial features to sag and complicate future efforts of replacing other teeth.
A bone graft is placed in the area where more bone is needed, and over a short period of time, the graft fuses with your natural bone to promote the growth of more bone. Once the graft is successful, you have enough bone in your jaw to support a dental implant and keep your jaw bone sturdy and healthy. At North Dakota Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center, we offer a variety of bone grafting options.
SINUS GRAFTS
This type of bone grafting procedure is performed to increase the amount of bone in the upper jaw by lifting the sinus membrane and placing a bone graft. This is especially useful for patients who are looking to have a dental implant placed along the upper arch of teeth but may lack sufficient bone in the upper jaw. Also known as a sinus lift, a sinus graft results in greater stability and stimulation of the upper jaw.
RIDGE AUGMENTATION OR PRESERVATION
This procedure is typically performed after a tooth extraction and helps recreate the natural contour of the gums that may have been lost due to atrophy or other reasons. When a tooth is extracted, the empty socket usually heals on its own, filling with bone and tissue. Sometimes, the surrounding socket breaks and cannot heal, causing the natural shape of the socket to deteriorate. A ridge augmentation rebuilds the height and width of the alveolar ridge (the part of the jaw that surrounds the teeth) in preparation for dental implants, or for other cosmetic reasons.
TUNNEL GRAFTING
A tunnel graft is a minimally invasive bone grafting procedure that utilizes a tiny incision instead of a large incision to place the graft. This procedure is typically done to make the jaw wider in cases of missing lower back teeth. Essentially, a small tunnel is made, and bone grafting materials are added through that tunnel. There are very few stitches after this procedure, and discomfort is reduced.
BLOCK GRAFTING
This technique is used when large defects of the jaw bone are present. Dr. Glosenger will harvest a small block of bone from the lower jaw. Then, this block will be placed into the defective area and held in place with titanium screws. Over the next 4 to 6 months, your bone will fuse with this new, larger section of jaw bone to enhance the stability of the jaw and rebuild the areas where a large amount of bone was lacking.
BONE MORPHOGENETIC PROTEIN (BMP)
This naturally occurring protein stimulates the growth of new bone. BMP is typically utilized in more advanced bone grafting cases or to enhance treatment results. It can be applied to the area directly to help the jaw bone restore itself and replenish the atrophied bone.
