Bone Grafting

Restore Bone

Teeth—and their roots—are essential to having a healthy jaw bone. That’s because the tooth roots stimulate the jaw bone through biting down and chewing. This stimulation keeps the jaw bone strong, preserving bone health and preserving facial balance. When a tooth is missing, that stimulation is lost, and bone loss occurs. Facial trauma, disease, and congenital defects can also cause insufficient bone in the jaw.

For patients who want to replace their missing teeth with dental implants but do not have enough jaw bone to support an implant, bone grafting is often recommended. Dr. Livesay, Dr. Carey, and Dr. Naselsker are specialists in dental implant-based tooth restorations and perform a range of bone grafting procedures to ensure more patients can enjoy restoration with dental implants. Contact our office to schedule a consultation.

About Bone Grafting

A bone graft is a procedure performed to add more bone where more is needed. Depending on the type of bone graft and the patient’s preferences, bone grafting material can be made from several different sources:

• A tissue bank
• Synthetic materials
• The patient’s own body
• An animal

During your first visit to our office, your surgeon will take 3D scans, perform an oral examination, and discuss your treatment options with you. The type of anesthesia will also be discussed at this time.

Types of Bone Grafting Treatments

There are several types of bone grafting treatments:

• Ridge augmentation. The alveolar ridge is the bone in the mouth that holds the teeth’s roots in place. A ridge augmentation adds more height and/or width to the alveolar ridge. This procedure may be performed at the same time as a tooth extraction to prepare for a dental implant.
• Sinus lift. The maxillary sinus can be found behind the cheeks, and the bone that separates it from the mouth can be very thin. A sinus lift adds more bone to this area by adding bone grafting material to the sinus floor.
• Socket preservation. A socket preservation is performed as a preventive measure during a tooth extraction to prepare for a dental implant in the future. Once the tooth has been removed, the surgeon can place bone grafting material into the empty tooth socket, which preserves the size and shape of the socket.
• Block graft. A block graft restores a large area of bone, especially when a ridge augmentation is not enough. A block grafting procedure involves your surgeon taking a section (“block”) of bone from a different part of your body and placing it into the alveolar bone. Screws are used to fix it into place. Over time, the bone block integrates with the existing bone.

Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP)

Bone morphogenetic proteins, or BMPs, naturally occur in the body. Since they stimulate bone growth and healing, BMPs can be used in conjunction with several oral surgery procedures, including bone grafting and dental implant surgery. Patients who receive BMP as a part of their treatment enjoy a faster recovery and less post-operative discomfort.

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)

Platelets are a part of the blood that have clotting properties and growth factors. Platelet-rich plasma accelerates the healing process by concentrating a sample of your own blood with more platelets. PRP involves collecting a blood sample that is then put through a centrifuge to separate the other parts of the blood while concentrating the platelets. PRP can be mixed with bone grafting material, or injected directly into the treated area.