Adequate healthy bone is important for the positioning and stability of a dental implant.
Unfortunately, bone can be lost following tooth extraction, infection, gum disease, trauma or simply as a consequence of a tooth having been absent for a prolonged period.
Dental bone grafting encompasses a number of surgical techniques used to preserve or rebuild bone where additional volume is required.
Dr Mohsin Ali provides advanced bone-augmentation procedures as part of his implant practice, including guided bone regeneration, sinus grafting and more advanced grafting approaches where indicated.
Why might I need a bone graft?
An implant needs to be placed in an appropriate three-dimensional position rather than simply wherever bone happens to remain.
Where the available bone is too narrow, too shallow or otherwise deficient at the planned implant site, grafting may be recommended to create a more suitable foundation for treatment.
What types of bone graft are available?
There are several grafting techniques and materials. The appropriate approach depends on the location and extent of the bone deficiency.
Options can include socket preservation, guided bone regeneration, particulate bone grafting, block grafting and sinus augmentation.
Graft materials may come from several sources. In some situations, a patient’s own bone can be used; in others, carefully processed grafting materials can be appropriate. Dr Ali will explain the proposed material and alternatives before treatment.
What is socket preservation?
After a tooth is removed, the bone surrounding the socket naturally remodels and can reduce in volume.
Socket preservation involves placing grafting material into an extraction site where clinically appropriate, with the aim of limiting this loss of bone volume and supporting future treatment.
This can be particularly relevant where a dental implant is being considered after healing.
Can the bone graft and implant be placed together?
For smaller defects, grafting can often be performed at the same time as implant placement.
Larger deficiencies may require a staged approach, allowing the graft to heal before the implant is placed.
The appropriate sequence can only be determined after assessing the available bone, gum tissues and proposed implant position.
