about bone grafting
During the body's normal maintenance cycle, specialized cells in the blood continually enter your tissue to remove damaged cells and replace them with new, healthy cells.
Grafting procedures place a framework of material in the areas of missing bone into which these cells can enter and start the rebuilding process. Over time your cells will remodel the graft material into your own functioning bone.
|
|
before
Cross-section of a jaw that has lost volume following tooth loss. There is not enough bone to safely place a dental implant.
|
|
|
during healing
The patient's cells migrate into the allograft material and remodel it into new bone. Over time host bone will remodel to replace the allograft.
|
|
|
after
Restored jaw now has adequate room for placement of a dental implant to replace the missing tooth.
|
where does bone grafting material come from?
Bone grafting material comes from several sources. Autograft bone is material that is taken from another point in the patient's body and transplanted to the desired site. It is a good graft material since it contains the patient's own cells, and carries no risk of disease transmission. The chief drawbacks are that it requires a second surgical procedures and enough harvestable bone that may not be easily available.
Allograft bone is material that was taken from an organ donor and processed to ensure its safety and improve the handling characteristics. The advantages of allograft bone are that it is readily available and does not require a second surgical site. Allograft bone has been well documented in clinical trials and has an excellent safety record.
- Readily available
- No second surgical site
- Clinically proven effectiveness
- Great track record of safety
