Treaments and Services

• Treatment Methods
• Prophylaxis (Teeth Cleaning)
• Bruxism Treatments
• Scaling and Root Planning
• Bite Adjustment
• Osseous Surgery
• Gum Grafting
• Frenectomy
• Crown Lengthening
• Bone Grafting
• Guided Bone and Tissue Regeneration
• Sinus Augmentation
• Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery
• Oral Cancer Exam
• TMJ Dysfunction
• Tooth Extraction
• Microbial Testing
• Local Antibiotic Treatment
• Periodontal Maintenance & Support Therapy
• Dental Implants

Bone Grafting

Major and Minor Bone Grafting

Over a period of time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth atrophies, or is resorbed. This often leaves a condition in which there is an inadequate quantity and/or poor quality of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. In these situations, most patients are not candidates for placement of dental implants without bone grafting.

Today, we have the ability to grow bone where needed. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, it also gives us the opportunity to restore functionality and an esthetic appearance.

Major Bone Grafting

Bone grafting can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease, or injuries. The bone is either obtained from a tissue bank or your own bone is taken from the jaw, hip, or tibia (below the knee.) Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the posterior of the upper jaw. In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum and protect the bone graft and encourage bone regeneration. This is called guided bone regeneration.

Major bone grafts are typically performed to repair defects of the jaws. These defects may arise as a result of traumatic injuries, tumor surgery, or congenital defects. Large defects are repaired using the patient�s own bone. This bone is harvested from a number of different sites depending on the size of the defect. The skull (cranium), hip (iliac crest), and lateral knee (tibia) are common donor sites. These procedures are routinely performed in an operating room and require a hospital stay.

Ridge Expansion

In severe cases, the ridge has been reabsorbed and a bone graft is placed to increase ridge height and/or width. This is a technique used to restore the lost bone dimension when the jaw ridge gets too thin to place conventional implants. In this procedure, the bony ridge of the jaw is literally expanded by mechanical means. Bone graft material can be placed and matured for several months before placing the implant.