Understanding 3 Different Types of Dental Implant Bone Grafts
If you lose a tooth due to dental decay, then you may want to think about working with your dental professional to replace the missing tooth. Missing teeth can cause you some oral health issues. Nearby teeth may slip into the gap along the jawline or you may find it a bit harder to chew or grind your food. Most people are good candidates for dental implants as long as they are healthy overall and also have gums that are free of periodontal disease.
Dental implants also require strong and dense bone tissues across the jaw. If you are healthy, but do not have strong bones, then you may need to receive a bone graft before a dental implant is placed. There are many different types of bone grafts. Keep reading to learn about a few that your dentist or oral surgeon may suggest.
Autograft Tissue
Autograft is a term that is used to describe bone graft tissues that are taken from your own body. The bone can be taken from the back of the jaw or the hip. The bone is shaped into small blocks and attached to the jaw where the implant will be placed. Screws are typically used to secure the bone in place. Since small blocks of tissue are used, substitute bone will be needed to fill in gaps. You will need to wait for the bone to grow new cells in the region. It is ideal to use your own bone for grafting purposes due to reduced risk of rejection.
However, your own bone tissues cannot always be used. Thin and weak bones may not be utilized, and the bone loss area may be too large for your own bone matter to fill the space. You also may not want to wait for the significant healing around the graft or a disease may prevent bone removal from your body.
Allograft Bone
The next best option is an allograft, if your own bone tissues are not the best option for you. An allograft is when bone is taken from a cadaver and used to replace your missing bone tissues. Fresh, frozen, and freeze-dried tissues may all be used for the allograft procedure, and these bones are ones taken from a willing organ donor. The bones are usually stored in large quantities in a tissue bank.
Before the donor bone can be used in your body, it must be fully treated. This is necessary so that your immune system does not read the bone as a foreign object that must be eliminated. Also, the processing will kill any diseases that may be carried by the bone. If the bone has already been preserved by freeze-drying it, then it will be ready for use. If the bone is fresh or frozen, then the bone may be irradiated or acid washed to prepare it. The donor bone will be shaped to fit with your jaw almost like a puzzle piece. A screw adheres the bone in place and the gums are stitched over the bone. You must wait several weeks for news cells to form around the edge of the graft.
Ceramic Graft Material
In most cases, the body will naturally fill in the gap in your jaw where your tooth was originally pulled out. If you do not follow a healthy diet or if you are a menopausal woman, then minerals may not be used by the body to close the root opening. This may leave a small space where dense bone will be needed to keep the dental implant root secure. However, the space may not be substantial enough for a full bone graft. In this case, a synthetic filler material may be placed in the tooth socket. A ceramic or calcium carbonate material may be placed in the space instead.
When the synthetic material is secured, it will stimulate the bone tissue in the region and bone cells will slowly replace the synthetic material. Once your own bone grows in the area, your dental professional will be able to schedule the dental implant operation.
To learn more about your options, contact resources like Joe Rosenberg, DDS.