Bone Grafting: A Periodontal Associates Specialty Procedure

Bone Grafting

The success of any dental implant procedure is in the quality of the mouth structure itself, specifically the quality of the jawbone, which is the base for any dental implant. Over a period of time, a patient can experience deterioration of the jawbone due to a tooth loss, gum disease or mouth trauma. This often results in both poor quality and quantity of bone, unsuitable for the placement of dental implants. Bone grafting procedures help periodontal experts restore bone to its previous form.

Periodontal Associates, based in Mississauga, leads the way in restoring the jawbone to a condition suitable for anchoring a dental implant.

Bone Grafting: Minor And Major Procedures

Today, we have the ability to grow bone, or place bone, where needed providing the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width. As experts in the industry, our team consults with dentists and patients to determine what level of repair is needed and then the procedure that would yield the best results.

Major Bone Grafting:

Large bone defects are repaired using the patient’s own bone harvested from a number of different sites depending on the size of the defect, including the skull (cranium), hip (iliac crest), and lateral knee (tibia). These procedures are routinely performed in an operating room and require a hospital stay due to their more invasive nature.

Minor Bone Grafting:

These are less intrusive procedures whereby the periodontal expert will look at conducting minor repairs to bone through a sinus lift of a ridge expansion procedure.

Bone grafting has proven effective in restoring both functionality and aesthetic appearance to Periodontal Associates’ patients in Mississauga and surrounding areas.

Minor Bone Grafting: A Closer Look

There are two key procedures considered a minor bone graft – a Sinus Lift or a Ridge Augmentation. Our periodontal experts will decide if either of these two options is preferred over Major Bone grafting. Both of these options are designed to make it possible for a patient to receive a dental implant with minimal invasion.

• Sinus Lift: Some of the roots of the natural upper teeth extend up into the sinuses and when these upper teeth are removed, the patient is often left with a thin wall of bone separating the maxillary sinus and the mouth. When the sinus wall is thin, it is impossible to place dental implants into this bone without first performing a sinus graft or sinus lift graft. One of our dental implant surgeons will enter the sinus from where the upper teeth are missing. The sinus membrane is then lifted upward and donor bone is inserted into the floor of the sinus (the floor of the sinus is the roof of the upper jaw).
• Ridge Augmentation: Sometimes when a tooth is removed, the remaining pocket can deteriorate resulting in excessive bone loss. Your periodontal expert could suggest a ridge augmentation, whereby the tooth socket would be filled with bone graft material, rebuilding it to its previous state. This procedure usually takes place at time of the tooth removal but can also be performed at a later date with success.

After several months of healing, the bone becomes part of the patient’s jaw and dental implants can be inserted and stabilized into the new bone restoring the patient’s full function.

More On Bone Grafting Material

Bone grafting material can come from several sources including from another point in the patient’s body, from an organ donor or from a synthetic material. All have their pros and cons. One good option is to take bone from a patient’s own body since it contains the patient’s own cells and carries no risk of disease transmission. The chief drawback is that it requires the patient to undergo two surgical procedures and sometimes enough harvestable bone may not be available.

When bone from the patient is not readily available, our surgeon may take material from an organ donor or use synthetic materials. With excellent safety record and high success rates, these materials are more readily available and negates the need for a second surgical site.

Your periodontal expert will talk with you about the options available.

Whatever the procedure or material selected, the end result should be the restoration of a strong base for which to anchor the dental implant. Our Mississauga patients who have undergone one of these procedures have gone on to complete dental implants and have restored full functionality and aesthetics to their mouth.

Periodontal Associates: Exceptional Care

Once the main procedures are completed, we conduct regular follow-ups to ensure that our patients are responding well to the implants and have returned to full and normal use. Our goal is to provide each and every patient in the GTA (including Mississauga, Brampton, Burlington and Oakville) with an exceptional experience and most importantly, with a healthy mouth that they can live with for years to come.

If you are in need of a Bone Grafting procedure, Dental Implants, or Frenectomy, contact us today!