Bone Grafting

Over the years, the jaw bone associated with missing teeth atrophies and is reabsorbed. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for the placement of dental implants. In these situations, individuals can have sinking in of the face, loss of bone form, and the inability to use dental implants for the replacement of teeth.

With bone grafting we now have the opportunity to not only replace bone where it is missing, but we also have the ability to promote new bone growth in that location. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and aesthetic appearance.

Primary Reasons for Bone Grafting

Tooth Loss: When a tooth is lost or extracted, bone grafting may be needed to restore lost bone and support future dental restorations.
Gum Disease: Advanced periodontal disease can weaken the jawbone. Bone grafting helps rebuild bone integrity in affected areas.
Trauma or Injury: Facial trauma may cause bone damage or loss, requiring grafting to repair and rebuild the affected site.
Infection: Infections in the jaw can deteriorate bone tissue. Bone grafting may be required to restore structure and promote healing.
Dental Implants: In some cases, there isn’t enough natural bone to place implants. Grafting helps create a strong foundation for successful implant placement.

Book Your Bone Grafting Appointment

Why Might I Require a Bone Graft Before Getting Dental Implants?

Undergoing a bone grafting procedure becomes necessary when the jaw lacks adequate bone volume or density. By augmenting the jaw with bone grafting, it provides a stable foundation for dental implants, ensuring their long-term success.

Types of Bone Grafting Materials

Bone grafting can enhance implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease, or injuries. We typically use your own bone or donor bone.

Your own bone can be taken from the jaw, hip, or tibia (below the knee). This autogenous bone graft is advantageous in that the graft material is living bone, meaning it contains living cellular elements that enhance bone growth and uptake—more predictable and with less chance of infection.

As a substitute to using real bone, many bone graft substitutes are available as a safe and proven alternative. However, unlike autogenous bone, substitute bone cannot produce new bone on its own. Rather, it serves as a framework or scaffold over which bone from the surrounding bony walls can grow to fill the defect or void.

The advantage of substitute bone is that it does not require another surgical site to harvest your own bone, as is required with natural bone. However, because these options lack living bone’s bone-forming properties, bone regeneration may take longer than with bone substitutes, with a less predictable outcome.

Bone grafting is an oral surgical procedure sometimes required in patients whose jawbones are insufficient in either height or width to support dental implants. Because the only function of the alveolar bone in the jaw is to support the teeth, the body quickly begins to resorb this bone if teeth are missing. Without an adequate amount of jawbone, dental implants cannot be placed.

The Bone Grafting Process

Bone is typically harvested from your own body and added to the deficient site. This grafted bone will fuse with the existing bone and the migration of cells will cause firm adhesion and cell growth. Supplementing the jaw with bone will result in greater bone mass to help support and anchor dental implants.

Types of Bone Grafting

At Gateway Oral Surgery, Dr. Mather offers different types of bone grafting procedures to suit your personalized needs. Depending on where the new bone is needed, the extent of your bone loss, your facial anatomy, as well as other relevant factors, we may recommend one of the following procedures:

Socket Preservation Procedure

The socket preservation procedure, also known as alveolar ridge preservation, is a procedure performed after tooth extraction to preserve the shape and volume of the socket (the area where the tooth was located). When a tooth is extracted, the surrounding bone can resorb or shrink, affecting the area’s aesthetics and function and complicating future dental implant placement.

During the Socket Preservation Procedure:

After the tooth is extracted, Dr Mather cleans the socket to remove any debris.
A bone grafting material is then placed into the socket to fill the void left by the extracted tooth.
In some cases, a membrane may be used to cover the socket and protect the bone graft, promoting bone regeneration.
The socket is then sutured closed, and the healing process begins.

It is a relatively simple and minimally invasive procedure, typically performed with local anesthesia or intravenous sedation. The healing time is relatively short, and patients can usually resume normal daily activities shortly after the procedure.

Ridge Augmentation (GBR)

Ridge augmentation, often performed using guided bone regeneration (GBR), is a procedure aimed at increasing the width and/or height of the jaw ridge. The jaw ridge, also known as the alveolar ridge, may resorb or become thin, making it unsuitable for conventional dental implants.

During the ridge augmentation procedure:

Dr Mather makes an incision to gain access to the jaw ridge.
Bone-grafting materials are placed in the area to stimulate bone growth and regeneration.
A barrier membrane may be used to guide the regeneration process and protect the graft from soft tissue infiltration.
The incision is sutured closed, and the healing process begins.

This procedure is typically performed under local anesthesia or intravenous sedation. Once the new bone has matured and integrated with the existing bone, dental implants can be placed to restore missing teeth and improve oral function and aesthetics.

Sinus Lift Procedure

A sinus lift procedure is a surgical technique that increases the amount of bone in the upper jaw’s posterior region. The general purpose of the procedure is to create a sufficient bone volume in the area where dental implants are to be placed.

The maxillary sinuses are located behind the cheeks and on top of the upper teeth. When upper teeth are missing or extracted, the surrounding bone tends to resorb, and the maxillary sinus may expand, leaving insufficient bone height for implant placement.

During the sinus lift procedure:

Dr Mather gains access to the sinus either from the extraction site of the missing teeth or from the side of the upper jaw.
The sinus membrane is gently lifted upward, creating a space beneath it.
The bone graft material is placed into the space below the lifted sinus membrane.
Over time, the bone graft fuses with the existing bone, creating a stable and sufficient bone height to support dental implants.

The procedure is typically performed under local anesthesia or intravenous sedation, and post-operative healing may take several months before dental implants can be placed securely in the newly augmented bone.

Amazing staff from the front to the back, clean and modern suite, and Dr Mather is insanely kind, patient, and understands folks are nervous and has such a reassuring and encouraging aura. Had 2 extractions and 3 implants across 2 visits and I think it was as positive of an experience as you could imagine.

— Aaron M.

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