Bone Graft

We consider a treatment called "Bone Graft" either to enhance existing deformative bone for dental implant placement or to preserve bone after tooth removal. 

1. Socket Preservation           

Advanced periodontal disease, tooth fracture, or other types of abscesses may cause severe bone loss around a tooth, requiring extraction of the tooth. When the tooth is extracted, healing occurs by a combination of “shrinkage” of the remaining extraction socket bone and some bone growth from the base of the extraction site. The result is often loss of bone where the tooth used to be and depression in the remaining ridge of bone. This problem can now be avoided. At the time the tooth is extracted, the area is filled with resorbable “bone graft materials”, and the area is covered with a membrane barrier. The barrier prevents the gum tissue from growing into the extraction area and protects the underlying calcium materials which are forming into bone. The graft materials encourage your own bone to grow into the area and these materials are totally resorbed and eliminated by the body. This treatment will often result in the complete regeneration of the lost bone in the area of the tooth extraction.

Regenerating damaged and lost bone at the time of extraction of the tooth provides the following advantages:

• The bone between the extracted tooth and the adjacent tooth is preserved or regenerated. The health of the adjacent tooth is thus improved.
• A ridge deformity does not develop, and the appearance of the ridge is more natural. The aesthetics of the area is preserved or improved.
• The regenerated bone allows placement of an implant to replace the missing tooth.

If a ridge deformity exists because this procedure was not performed at the time the tooth was extracted, a ridge augmentation procedure can be performed at a later date with beneficial results.

2. Bone Graft at the time of Implant Placement                

As soon as a tooth is extracted, healing process or "bone shrinkage" occurs, thus leading to bone deformation. When a dental implant is being placed, bone graft is necessary to create a solid base for the implant.

Just like the socket preservation treatment, we place bone material and cover with a membrane to prevent gum from growing into bone graft area.

It takes 3-4 months for bone to heal completely.