Jawbone Grafting Surgery

Today, we have the ability to grow bone where needed. 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.

Implant Site Development

Bone grafting can preserve bone that is present at the time of extraction in preparation for a dental implant.  Bone grafting can also repair an implant site with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease or injuries.

• Ridge Preservation
  • Bone graft placed into an extraction site at the time of extraction
  • Serves as a scaffold for bone cells to grow across and maintain bone that is present.
  • Typically performed with allogenic bone graft (cadaver bone), but xenografts (bovine or porcine bone) and synthetic bone may also be used.
  • We also use your own blood to produce leukocyte (white blood cells) and platelet rich fibrin (L-PRF) to promote bone healing.
• Onlay Bone Grafting
  • To obtain adequate width for a dental implant we can add bone to increase the ridge width
  • Bone can be obtained from intraoral sites or we can use allogenic (cadaver) bone grafts.
  • These grafts are typically secured with small titanium screws
  • This procedure is most commonly done in office under local anesthesia, nitrous oxide, iv sedation or general anesthesia.
• Sinus Lift
  • When patients have inadequate height for dental implants in the posterior (back) upper jaw, bone can be added through the sinus to allow for bone for the dental implant to heal
  • In order to add bone in this area a small hole is made into the sinus and the sinus membrane is elevated so the bone graft can be placed. Keep in mind that the floor of the sinus is the roof of the upper jaw.
• Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP)
  • BMPs are naturally occurring proteins in the body that play an active role in bone formation and maintenance.
  • We use BMP to recruit your own stem cells to the area of bone needed and it stimulates your own stem cells to become bone producing cells.
  • BMP is typically used to help in larger defects.
  • Because BMP recruits cells to the area it is very common for significant swelling to occur post-operatively.

Repair of Defects of the Jaw

These defects may arise as a result of traumatic injuries, tumor surgery, or congenital defects. Large defects tend to be repaired using the patient’s own bone. This bone is harvested from a number of different sites depending on the size of the defect. The skull (cranium), hip (iliac crest), and tibia (below knee), are common donor sites. These procedures are routinely performed in an operating room and require a hospital stay.