• In this section...
• Dental Implants
• Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery
• Gum Grafting
• Crown Lengthening
• Osseous Surgery
• Bone Grafting & Tissue Regeneration
• Ridge Preservation
• Sinus Lift
• CT Scan Guided Surgery

Bone Grafting

Over a period of time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth atrophies or is resorbed. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. In the past, these patients were not candidates for placement of dental implants.

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 esthetic appearance.

Bone grafting can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease or injuries.  The bone is either obtained from a tissue bank or your own bone is taken from the jaw, hip or tibia (below the knee.)  Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the posterior upper jaw.  In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum and protect the bone graft and encourage bone regeneration.  This is called guided bone regeneration or guided tissue regeneration.

Guided Tissue Regeneration "regenerates" the previously lost gum and bone tissue. Most techniques utilize membranes, which are inserted over the bone defects. Some of these membranes are bio-absorbable and some require removal. Other regenerative procedures involve the use of newly developed bioactive gels or growth factors.

Major Bone Grafting

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

Ridge Augmentation

In many cases of missing teeth, the ridge has been reabsorbed and a bone graft is placed to increase ridge height and/or width.  This is a technique used to restore the lost bone dimension when the jaw ridge gets too thin to place conventional implants.  In this procedure, the bony ridge of the jaw is literally expanded by mechanical means.  Bone graft material can be placed and matured for a few months before placing the implant.