Bone Grafting

Bone loss in the jawbone is common when one or more teeth have been lost due to injury, decay, or trauma. Without the tooth in place to stimulate the jawbone, the bone around the missing tooth will begin to deteriorate. Over time, the jawbone may deteriorate to such an extent that there may not be enough bone to place dental implants. In cases such as these, Dr. Lane may recommend having a bone grafting procedure.

Bone grafting is the replacement or augmentation of missing bone around the teeth. There are three types of bone graft procedures: grafting with your own bone, tissue banks and synthetic materials.

Using your own bone graft takes bone from one area of your body and transplants it to the location in the mouth being restored. The bone is usually taken from non-essential bones such as the chin area. The benefit of using your own bone graft is that the bone used comes solely from the patient thus reducing the likelihood of rejection and infection. The bone is also still “live”, meaning it still has active cellular material.

Tissue banks also use human bone transplanted to the area in the mouth being restored. However, tissue banks do not use the patient’s own bone. Instead, the bone usually comes from cadavers who have donated their bone to bone-banks. All tissue bank bone material is carefully screened and is considered very safe.

Synthetic materials also replace bone in the area requiring treatment, however the bone comes from a non-human source. Usually the non-human source is bovine (cow). Tissue banks and synthetic materials are used because they do not require a second surgical site to harvest bone and ample amounts of bone can be easily attained.

Dr. John M. Lane, located in Madison and Florence, Alabama, is a Periodontist who serves patients from Decatur, Madison, Huntsville, and The Shoals, Alabama. We are looking forward to welcoming you to our office and encourage you to schedule your appointment today!