Bone Augmentation for Dental Implants

One of the treatments gaining popularity for tooth replacement due to the permanence that it offers is dental implantation. However, for dental implants to be successful, the patient needs to have sufficient bone mass to support the implant. In some cases, bone mass may have been significantly compromised due to various reasons such as trauma, dental caries, birth defects or periodontal diseases. For these patients, the dentist will have to perform bone augmentation in order to build the bone mass. Bone augmentation comprises the grafting of bone extracted from the patient or from a cadaver onto the jaw. In some cases, once bone augmentation has been performed, the patient will have to wait for their jaw to recover before they can have their dental implants done. Here are some of the different types of bone augmentation that can be performed for dental implants.

Sinus lift bone augmentation 

This type of bone grafting is also referred to as a sinus elevation. It works to increasing the height of the patient's upper jaw through filling in their maxillary sinus with the grafted bone. The maxillary sinus refers to the area on either side of the nose right above the jaw. This type of bone augmentation will be carried out when the patient has insufficient upper jaw mass for the dental implants.

Ridge expansion bone augmentation

This type of bone grafting is carried out when the patient's jawbone is not sufficiently wide to support dental implantation. The dentist will start the procedure by splitting the patient's jaw along its ridge using a special saw. Once the split has been created, bone graft are used to fill the space that has been made available. With this type of bone augmentation, you could opt to have the dental implants inserted directly so that the root of the implant takes hold as the jaw is healing. It should be noted though that some dentists might prefer healing to occur first before proceeding with the dental implantation.

Distraction osteogenesis bone augmentation

This type of bone augmentation is a less common procedure. It was a procedure that was primarily used in the lengthening of leg bone in people with legs that were abnormally short. However, technological advancements have now made it adaptable for lengthening jawbone too. The dentist will cut into your jawbone and separate some of the jawbone. They will then insert a titanium device into the separated area using pins and screws. The patient is then required to unscrew the titanium device is small increments over a period of time. This is to create space between the separated bone and the jawbone. Over time, your natural bone will grow into the space being created, hence lengthening it. Once the desired height is reached, dental implantation can occur.