Watch Patient Story
Tami
At MOSA Oral Maxillofacial & Dental Implant Surgery, we believe that every patient deserves the opportunity to restore their oral health and smile and bone grafting now allows us to do this more effectively than ever before. A bone graft is commonly used to restore missing or lost bone in the jaw which can occur as a result of missing teeth, genetic defects, facial injuries, and other oral health problems. Patients once told that they couldn’t replace missing teeth due to a lack of jaw bone height or width can now have dental implants and other restorations placed following a bone grafting procedure.
Dr. Michael Lewis, Dr. Ryan Lloyd, and Dr. Andre LaMothe are experts in the restoration of the jaw bone and facial skeleton and provide a variety of bone grafting options at their offices in Monterey, CA, Salinas, CA, and Santa Cruz, CA. Our oral surgeons use 3D CT imaging to measure the amount of bone available and recommend the best treatment to restore oral function.
Types of Bone Grafting Procedures
At MOSA Oral Maxillofacial & Dental Implant Surgery, there are many different bone grafting treatments available to patients. We’ve outlined below some of the most commonly performed procedures in our practice. The recommended grafting technique is often dependent on the condition of the existing bone and the restorative goals of each patient.
Socket Preservation: This grafting technique is used to maintain the jaw bone following the loss or extraction of a tooth. The oral surgeon places the bone graft directly into the empty tooth socket, preserving the shape of the jaw bone for future restoration. Socket preservation is a fantastic treatment option for patients who which to replace their missing tooth with an implant at a future date, and the surgeon can often place the graft at the same time that the oral surgeon removes the tooth.
Ridge Expansion: It is not uncommon for patients to have a jaw bone that is too thin for tooth replacement. Our surgeons often recommend ridge expansion when the jaw is lacking the width necessary to anchor an implant successfully. This procedure often provides an aesthetic benefit, as it restores the natural contour of the gum and jaw line.
Sinus Lift: The sinuses rest just behind the cheeks and above your upper teeth. When patients need dental implants placed within their upper arch of teeth, sometimes the bone which separates the mouth from the sinus cavity is too thin to support implant placement. Your oral surgeon can perform a sinus lift procedure to correct this problem. During the treatment, your surgeon will carefully enter the sinus cavity and lift the sinus membrane. Bone graft material is then placed in the sinus to provide adequate space for the dental implant.
When undergoing a grafting procedure, we may use bone from a tissue bank, or we may use the patient’s bone that we usually take from another area of the jaw.
Bone Grafting and Dental Implants
There must be enough bone available for the implants to integrate with the jaw to restore teeth with dental implants successfully. When a tooth or teeth have been missing for an extended period, the jaw bone surrounding the missing tooth site tends to recede due to a lack of stimulation. If this is the case, bone grafting may be necessary to restore the jaw bone and allow for the secure placement of dental implants.
Our state-of-the-art practice uses PRGF to stimulate healing and shorten post-surgical pain and swelling.
Bone Grafting in Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz, CA
At MOSA Oral Maxillofacial & Dental Implant Surgery, our oral surgeons are experts in diagnosing jaw bone deficiencies and preparing the mouth for dental implant restoration. If you have a failing or missing tooth and are interested in learning how you can maintain your oral health, we encourage you to contact us in Monterey, Salinas, or Santa Cruz to schedule an appointment. We will present you with all of your options for tooth replacement to restore your function and smile.