Bone graft procedures

single tooth | bone grafts | multiple tooth

Bone block grafts
In the front of the mouth in the upper jaw, the ridge provides support for the lip and it is the area where teeth are most visible when somebody smiles. After the teeth are lost the ridge becomes narrower and there is often insufficient bone for implants.

Sometimes however it be comes necessary to widen the ridge using bone expansion with the implants being placed at the same time. On other occasions it is necessary to use a bone graft in this area to make implants possible to achieve a good aesthetic result. Depending on how much bone is needed bone grafts can be taken from the hip or some other part of the mouth and fixed into place. The graft is allowed to heal for 2-4 months prior to placement of implants.

Sinus grafts
In the back of the upper jaw the sinuses often occupy a large amount of space. Often very little bone remains and is not enough for implants. Sinuses are large spaces in the bone and they have a thin lining. To create bone the sinus lining can be lifted and a bone graft can be placed in the floor under the sinus lining and allowed to heal. The bone graft may be obtained from some other part of the body or it may be synthetic or obtained from a bone bank. This method of creating bone prior to implant placement is very predictable.


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