Bone Graft

For patients with missing or severely decayed teeth, Crossroads Family Dental offers dental implants as a tooth replacement solution! Our Restorative Dental team is here to help. Dental implants are the next best thing to your natural teeth. In recent years, Dental Implants have become the popular choice among patients because of their many advantages.
An implant is a titanium screw that is surgically placed into the jaw. After the healing process, the implant is attached to a prosthetic restoration and mimics the root component of a tooth. This means there must be a sufficient amount of bone to ensure the success of an implant.
Patients who have experienced bone deterioration may not be able to properly support a dental implant. Fortunately, the majority of these patients can undergo a bone graft procedure. A bone graft procedure will increase the quantity and quality of the bone before implant surgery.
Why is bone grafting necessary?
Implants need adequate bone to be successful. If you lose a tooth and do nothing to preserve and maintain the bone in the area of the missing tooth, the implant success rates will decrease or the contours and functions of the replacement implant tooth may be compromised. A bone graft at the time of extraction will preserve bone and create a more solid foundation for the implant, greatly increasing your chances of a successful implant!
Bone Grafting Procedure
Bone grafting is a natural or artificial bone particles that are surgically placed in areas of extracted
teeth or areas with deficient bone.
There are four types of bone grafts: autografts, allografts, xenografts, and synthetic.
• An autograft is made from your bone, taken from other bone rich areas of your body.
• An allograft is bone that has been harvested from a cadaver or donor.
• A xenograft is derived from bone from another species, typically a cow.
• Synthetic bone graft material is created in a laboratory and uses non-organic sources.
At the time of a tooth extraction, Dr. Nicholas Berns will place particles of bone graft material and a protective membrane into the bony socket where your tooth just was and place sutures to secure the grafting materials. After the surgery is complete, you will then have to wait for the new bone to grow. The bone graft material serves as a scaffolding for your body’s own bone cells to grow into the area. Over time, the bone graft and membrane will be completely absorbed by new bone growth. It usually takes 2-3 months for the new bone to become stable and secure. If desired, a temporary tooth can be placed in the area during healing.
Schedule a Consultation Visit
If you would like to learn more about bone grafting or Dental Implants, call 219-865-4095 and schedule a consultation visit!