Bone Graft and Dental Implants

What is bone graft in dentistry ?

Bone graft is used in almost 90% of the cases where a dental implant needs to be inserted.

Losing a tooth means losing the bone around that tooth leaving a resorbed crest and in most cases there isn't enough bone to support a dental implant.

Most patients do not really understand why they need extra bone or bone graft and sometimes they get confused.

Dental implants require bone graft to increase the bone volume and create a stable position for the long term success.

Bone Graft Procedure

Before having dental implants, a CBCT scan is required in order to measure patient's own bone levels and density. Dental implants have several shapes and dimensions and are chosen accordingly to each case.

Bone graft is used to increase the bone volume around dental implants. There are many types and procedures for bone graft in oral surgery.

Sinus lift means placing bone inside the maxillary sinus, through a procedure which requires sinus access via a lateral window created by removing a small piece of bone.

Small particles of bovine bone can be used for bone graft augmentation around implants after placement.

Bone graft in implant dentistry can be done using Allograft, Autogenous or Xenograft.

There are also synthetic options such as Beta Tricalcium Phospate which has been proved to provide similar results in some cases.

A more advanced bone graft technique in implant dentistry is the Khoury technique which uses bone plates prelevated from the mandible and fixed with titanium screws , the gap being filled with a mixture of bone particles autogenous and xenograft usually.

This gives a good result and a good stability for dental implants in cases where bone loss is severe.

Who should have bone graft ?

Bone graft is needed before, after or during dental implant placement.

As long as the patient has no contraindications for implant surgery and bone graft is required, the procedure is vital for reaching a good result.

Allergies or side effects are extremely rare almost insignificant and if the procedure is done right , complications can be avoided.

The modern technology of CBCT scans allows oral surgeons to plan , create and deliver a more predictable result and lately bone graft procedure can be done easier.

Printed 3D bone graft is inspired from Oral and Maxillofacial cases where patients with severe trauma need bone reconstruction for affected areas.

Bone graft procedure is extremely important in implant dentistry and has many of long term benefits leading to predictable outcomes for the oral surgeon but mostly for the patient.