Bone grafting may be necessary part of your dental implant treatment plan. This is especially so if you have been told that you are unlikely candidate for implants because of bone loss. Dr. Agrawal have advanced expertise in bone grafting techniques. The process involves harvesting healthy bone tissue from your own mouth or using an alternative donor source. Samples of bone tissue are added to areas of deficient bone to rebuild bone for a stronger foundation for dental implants.

Today, the sinus lift graft, which is performed by Dr. Agrawal, corrects this situation by augmenting the bone in the area. During this procedure, the sinus membrane is lifted upward, allowing donor bone to be inserted into the bottom of the sinus or roof of the upper jaw. Over the course of a few months, the bone becomes a solid part of the jaw, allowing dental implants to be placed and stabilized in the area.

Ridge Expansion

In some cases, the sinus lift procedure can be performed at the same time as implant placement, but this requires enough bone to be available between the bottom of the sinus and the upper jaw ridge to stabilize the implant adequately during the healing process. If this is not the case, the sinus graft will be performed first and given several months to heal before the implants are placed.

Sinus Lift

Another grafting procedure called a lift graft or simply a sinus graft is used to permit the replacement of upper teeth that are positioned near a thin sinus wall. The maxillary sinuses are empty pockets positioned behind the cheeks and above the upper teeth. Naturally, the roots of certain upper teeth reach up into these sinuses, and when these are missing, only a thin layer of bone is left to separate the maxillary sinuses and the mouth. Since this sinus wall is very thin, it is often impossible to place dental implants in the area. For years there was no option for missing teeth in the region other than dentures.

Today, the sinus lift graft, which is performed by Dr. Agrawal, corrects this situation by augmenting the bone in the area. During this procedure, the sinus membrane is lifted upward, allowing donor bone to be inserted into the bottom of the sinus or roof of the upper jaw. Over the course of a few months, the bone becomes a solid part of the jaw, allowing dental implants to be placed and stabilized in the area.

In some cases, the sinus lift procedure can be performed at the same time as implant placement, but this requires enough bone to be available between the bottom of the sinus and the upper jaw ridge to stabilize the implant adequately during the healing process. If this is not the case, the sinus graft will be performed first and given several months to heal before the implants are placed.

Will You Use My Own Bone for The Graft?

Grafts from the patient’s own bone are known as autogenous bone grafts, or autografts, and are generally preferred since they are live bone and so contain living cellular elements that will enhance bone growth. However, an autograft requires an additional procedure to harvest bone from the chin, jaw, hip, skull, or lower leg. In cases where it is unwise to put the patient through a second position, alternative sources of bone can be used. This can be either allogenic bone, or bone harvest from a cadaver and then processed with a freeze-dry method to remove water, or xenogenic bone, which is derived from another species like a cow and then processed at high temperatures to avoid potential rejection by the patient’s immune system. In either of these cases, the bone is dead and will not produce new bone by itself, but it serves as a good framework for the surrounding bone to grow over to fill the defect. This generally takes longer and is somewhat less reliable than an autograft.

Are There Any Alternatives to the Real Bone?

There are several synthetic options that have been proven safe. One common option is demineralized bone matrix, or DBM, is made from collagen, growth factors, and proteins that have been extracted from allograft bone and is available for use as a powder, putty, chips, or injectable gel. Graft composites consisting of combinations of bone graft materials and various growth factors can also be in some cases, since they combine the benefits of a number of materials, like collagen or bone marrow cells to aid in new growth. In other cases, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) can be used to promote new bone formation and healing.

What is the Recovery Like?

Patients should be prepared for bed rest for the first day following their bone grafting procedure, but normal activities can be gradually resumed after that. Physical activity should be limited for the first week to allow full recovery. You’ll be prescribed medication to deal with any pain, although most patients report only moderate pain along with some swelling for the first few days. Recovery time will also depend on the extent of the procedure.

Don’t live with missing teeth any longer! Schedule online or call (352) 674-9077 for a no-obligation implant consultation today to determine your suitability for dental implants.