Bone Grafting | Westminster MA

Major & Minor Bone Grafting

Missing teeth over a period of time can cause your jaw bone to atrophy, or resorb. This often results in poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for the placement of dental implants as well as long term shifting of remaining teeth and changes to facial structure. Most patients, in these situations, are not candidates for dental implants.

Fortunately, today we have the ability to grow bone where it is needed. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, but it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and aesthetic appearance.

Minor Bone Grafting

When a tooth is removed the patient will loose a significant amount of bone in the area of the extraction. Both height and width levels are lost making implant placement in the future very difficult. Even if a implant is not placement a bridge is not as esthetically pleasing if bone is lost after the extraction. Loss of bone can also cause various problems from sinus issues, gum disease and lack of stability of neighboring teeth.

After a tooth is extracted a procedure known as Ridge Preservation is performed. the socket where the tooth once was is completely cleaned and bone is placed directly into the socket then covered by a membrane to prevent gum tissue from growing into the socket. There are different types of bone available to be used and Dr. Palermo or Dr. Manzella will review with you which bone is appropriate for you particular circumstance.

Once the bone is placed into the socket, the healing process generally takes 3 to 9 months. At this point a dental implant can be placed where the new bone is.

Are You a Candidate for Bone Grafting

Advances in the field of oral surgery have made bone grafting procedures much simpler. Wachusett Family Dental provides excellent care with great patient outcomes.

Call us: 978-874-7363

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 upper jaw. In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum to protect the bone graft, as well as encourage bone regeneration. This is called guided bone regeneration, or guided tissue 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 areas depending on the size needed. 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.

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