Bone augmentation, grafting
Bone augmentation is absolutely necessary in case of implantation when the part of the jaw atrophic, not wide or tall enough, or there is not enough quantity or qulality bone stock at the place of implantation.
The loss of bone volume due to disuse. This is a concern after a tooth is lost from the mouth. The bone surrounding the tooth resorbs or atrophies. In the first year after tooth loss the bone can lose 25% or more of its volume. This loss continues thereafter but typically at a slower pace.
Bone augmentation (grafting) is the process of rebuilding or regenerating bone in an area where a dental implant is planned. After a tooth is lost, bone gradually resorbs (usually starting from the facial side), resulting in a situation that could compromise the implant placement or restoration. The loss of bone may occur due to tooth-bed diseases or after a chyst. The bone grafting (or guided regeneration) makes more ideal implant placement possible.
In bone augmentation we use exclusively biocompatible materials, so they have no harm on the organism!
Materials used in bone augmentation (grafting):
- Own bone – so called autograft – helps the regeneration of thin bone tissue, but operation is necessary to gain the bone. Exclusively oral cavity bone is used. Usually we gain the bone from the place of operation.
- Synthetic – contains only minerals
- Natural (animal origin) – BIO-OSS integrates easily, it is more similar to original bone than synthetic bone, it is reliable and sterilized.
In most cases we use a combination of these: for the best results we combine own bone with natural bone substitute.
Surgical methods for bone augmentation:
- Implantation and bone augmentation at the same time
This method can be used when there is not too much time (maximum 6 months) spent between the extraction of tooth and the implantation. This means that only very little part of the bone tissue is lost. Bone augmentation is done at the same time with implantation. In this case only a small amount of bone have to be replaced. We use own bone or a substance gained of animal bone. This alien bone restoring substance is gained through a several step sterilising process. The result is a completely inorganic bone substance which is microscopically very similar to the structure of human bone and is safe and efficient.
- Bone restoring before implantation – two-step method
When there is a long period of time between tooth extraction and dental rehabilitation (2 years or more), there is usually a serious bone loss. A big amount of bone is needed which cannot be obtained exclusively from own bone. In such a case we also use external bone restoring material. Own bone is mixed with the bone substitute. The mixture is placed into the place of the defected bone which is then protected with a membrane or titanium net to save it from being absorved.