Bone Grafting For the Successful Placement of Dental Implants

Over time, failure to replace a missing tooth will lead to bone loss. This can make it more difficult to replace the tooth with a dental implant. This highlights one of the many reasons to replace a missing tooth as soon as possible after it has been extracted.

In cases where bone loss has occurred leaving patients without a sufficient quantity and/or quality of bone for the successful placement of dental implants, bone grafting procedures may be used. There are a variety of different bone grafting techniques that can be used to allow the opportunity to place implants of a proper length and width including the following:

• Socket Preservation Graft – used immediately after a tooth is removed when a bone socket wall is thin and the likelihood of volumetric bone loss is high
• Block Cortical Bone Graft – restoration of the lost bone in the cases where the
width and height of remaining bone are insufficient to place an implant in the proper position
• Sinus Lift Bone Graft – utilized to replace missing bone to allow for implant placement in the back of the mouth
• Guided Bone Regeneration – may be utilized when there is a localized defect in the bone or only slightly inadequate bone in the area of implant placement

If you have visited an oral surgeon in the past and were told that you were not a candidate for dental implant surgery, you make want to get a second opinion. Advances in dental implant technology and expert bone grafting techniques now make it possible for many more patients to benefit from dental implants. This opens up a world of opportunity for patients who are dealing with tooth loss. If you are an adult who has lost one or more of your teeth, chances are very good that you are a candidate for dental implants. There are very few reasons that would rule you out for this innovative and life-changing tooth replacement solution. Call a dental implant specialist in your local area to find out of dental implants are right for you.

Posted on the behalf of Dr. Mac Worley, Mountain View Oral Surgery and Dental Implants