If a tooth has been damaged by gum disease and removed, if not replaced, the supporting bone area that once supported the tooth may be absorbed by the body or further damaged, making it weak and unable to hold any required dental implants. It is sometimes difficult to know when the bone has been damaged, but a dentist can measure the pocket depth, which can reveal excessive depth as well as defects in the bone.
In as little as six months from the time of losing a tooth, forty per cent of the original bone can be lost and continue to reduce with time. Bone loss can be quicker with some individuals and depends on various factors. If the bone is at a low level and can't support dental implants, grafting can rebuild bone and help to provide a strong enough foundation for dental implants or replacement teeth.
Bone grafting material can include:
A bone graft acts as a support to rebuild bone. A "graft" or bone material is added, to cause your body to fill in the space and grow its own bone. This provides a strong enough jaw bone area for replacement teeth.
In this process, adding bone graft material is a regeneration technique that encourages the body to naturally grow more bone. Osteoclasts are bone cells that resorb the bone graft material, removing it from the grafting area. Osteoblasts are bone cells that replace bone graft material with the own patient’s new bone.
Through the process of removing and replacing bone, our bodies can remove the bone grafting and replace it with new bone.
The gums are cut and a flap is pulled back to reveal underlying bone.
The bone graft material is placed in the areas required and a protective membrane covers the area.
The skin flap is returned and the area is stitched up.
The membrane and graft resorb and new bone exists in six to 10 weeks, ensuring proper space between teeth and the gum tissue is returned to normal.
