Bone augmentation or bone grafting is a surgical procedure to restore the loss of your jawbone so that dental implants can be placed and supported. The procedure involves placing bone graft material or a bone from another area of your body to your jawbone which bonds and fuses with the existing bone.

 

The success of placing dental implants depends on the quality and quantity of the jawbone, the level of bone density. The most common cases for the bone grafting procedure are patients who have had tooth extraction and didn’t replace the missing tooth or teeth or patients who have worn removable denture for years. In these cases, the loss of the tooth root causes significant bone loss. The jawbone shrinks and loses its strength. These patients typically have low bone density and need bone grafting. Also patients with oral conditions such as gum diseases or patients who had a trauma on their jaw may also need bone grafting.

 

After bone augmentation a patient must wait 4 to 9 months for the bone to heal and regenerate so that it can be strong and secure to support the dental implants. Of course there are cases when patient has lost a minor bone density and the augmentation and the implantation are done at the same time.

 

An alternative solution to bone augmentation

In some cases, we could avoid the bone augmentation treatment and use narrow or shorter implants. In the initial consultation we are going to plan your treatment for finding the best solution for your oral health and your appearance,