Bone Grafting and Reconstruction in Phoenix, AZ
Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, can lead to tooth loss and the destruction of your jawbone if it isn’t treated. The purpose of a bone grafting is to repair jaw defects.
When you’ve suffered bone and teeth loss, the remaining bone can atrophy or absorb. When this occurs, it can result in the remaining bone being too poor of quality or not having enough bone to receive dental implants.
Dental implants are crucial for patients who have lost a tooth or teeth. The implants restore most of the oral functions that the patient has lost. Luckily, there are options available that allow us to grow bone where needed. This gives patients a chance to receive dental implants as well as restore the aesthetics and functionality of their oral health. These procedures are referred to as bone grafting and reconstruction.
What is a Bone Graft?
Bone grafting is a procedure typically meant to repair dental implant sites that have an inadequate bone structure. The purpose of a bone grafting is to repair jaw defects. Jaw defects can occur as a result of gum disease, but it can also result from some of the following factors:
- Traumatic injuries.
- Congenital defects.
- Tumor surgery.
To perform a bone graft, we need to obtain bone from another source. Bone can sometimes be acquired from a tissue bank, but more often, the bone sample is taken from the patient themselves either from the hip, jaw, or tibia. A sinus bone graft called a sinus lift may become necessary to replace bone in the patient’s upper jaw.
Beyond straight bone grafting, there are things that we can do to help encourage bone regeneration. Special membranes that the periodontist surgically put in place promote bone regeneration while also protecting the bone graft. The membrane eventually dissolves under the patient’s gum. It is important to remember that a bone grafting procedure is typically conducted in an operating room and often needs a hospital stay since it is surgical in nature.
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What Is the Bone Grafting Procedure Like?
The procedure for a bone graft differs from patient to patient. First, our dental team must examine your mouth. This will allow us to create a plan that provides you with the best outcome. Typically, we utilize one of the following three procedures, sometimes in conjunction with each other:
- Socket graft.
- Block bone graft.
- Sinus lift procedure
A socket graft, also known as an alveolar ridge preservation graft, is designed to regenerate the bone that supports your teeth. This bone’s entire purpose is just to support your teeth and keep them in place. For this reason, when a tooth is not present, the body quickly reabsorbs or atrophies the bone. Sometimes, the graft can be avoided if the periodontist can place an implant in the empty socket in time. However, this is not always possible. As a result, this type of graft is performed to fill the void left by the missing tooth.
The block bone graft, also referred to as the autogenous ramus or chin graft, is utilized when a great deal of bone is required for the bone grafting procedure. As a result, this block bone graft requires us to remove a small block of bone from different sites on your person and then utilize that bone as a graft to correctly fuse your jawbone. When done properly, this allows for a site for dental implants.
Lastly, the sinus lift procedure, also known as a subantral graft, is utilized when the upper jaw requires a bone graft. When a tooth goes missing in the upper jaw, the bone in your sinus roots where the tooth’s roots were can degrade. As a result, the place where your dental implant would have gone might not be suitable for a dental implant due to the loss of bone. As a result, the subantral grafting procedure creates a place for bone to regenerate to allow for a dental implant.
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Not all patients who have periodontal disease need bone grafting and reconstruction. However, for those who do—Arizona Periodontal Group in Phoenix, AZ, is here for you. We will do everything we can to make your smile healthy and happy and to restore full function to your mouth.
We provide periodontal services in Phoenix, AZ, and the surrounding areas. If you wish to learn more about bone grafting and reconstruction, or you want to make an appointment with us, schedule an appointment!
We look forward to meeting you and helping you to improve your dental health.