When a patient's mouth lacks bone as well as teeth, bone grafting, or the addition of bone, is required before an implant can be placed.
A bone graft is a surgical procedure that replaces missing bone with material from the patient's own body (autogenous bone) or an artificial, synthetic (alloplast), or natural substitute (allografts). The graft not only replaces missing bone, but also helps your body to regenerate its own bone. This new bone growth strengthens the grafted area by forming a bridge between your existing bone and the graft material. This bone loss can be reversed. Over time your own newly formed bone will replace much of the grafted material.
Over a period of time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth atrophies or is reabsorbed. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. In these situations, most patients are not candidates for placement of dental implants.
We now have the ability to grow bone where needed. We place the graft into the area of your jaw that requires more bone tissue, and your body will accept the graft and replace it with the bodies own natural bone, when the bone matures Dr. Pruitt can proceed with the implant placement. This gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, and it also gives us a chance to more effectively restore esthetic appearance and functionality.
In the following Panoramic radiograph you can see the effect and importance of extraction site socket preservation. Notice how the area on the patient's lower right is dark and uneven where there is loss of tooth structure and absence of bone following the extraction of two teeth. Now, notice on the patient's lower left where two teeth were extracted how the extraction sites are full and level with bone grafting material that will generate formation of natural bone in the patient's lower jaw. As a result, the area on the patient's lower left, once properly healed, can be restored with the placement of dental implants and crowns.
The photos below, in chronological order, demonstrate the process of extraction site socket preservation. The first radiograph reveals two deeply decayed teeth that can not be restored and must be extracted. The following radiograph was taken immediately after the teeth were removed, if the extraction sites were left this way without bone grafting the result would be an uneven ridge with approximately 60% loss of bone height in this area of the lower jaw. The final radiograph was taken after the bone grafting material was placed and the extraction sockets have now been preserved for future restoration.
