BONE GRAFTING
What Is Bone Grafting?
Bone grafting is a procedure used to rebuild bone in areas where it has been lost due to periodontal disease, infection, or trauma. When teeth are missing, the jawbone can begin to shrink over time because it no longer receives the natural stimulation provided by tooth roots. If there isn’t enough healthy bone to support a dental implant, bone grafting is necessary to restore the area and create a strong foundation for successful implant placement.
How Does Bone Grafting Help?
Thanks to advancements in modern surgical techniques, we can now regenerate bone in areas where it’s been lost—making dental implants possible even for patients with significant bone deterioration. Bone grafting helps rebuild the foundation needed to securely support implants, restore facial structure, and improve long-term oral health.
Major & Minor Bone Grafting
Missing teeth over a period of time can cause your jaw bone to atrophy, or resorb. This often results in poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for the placement of dental implants as well as long term shifting of remaining teeth and changes to facial structure. Most patients, in these situations, are not candidates for dental implants.
Fortunately, today we have the ability to grow bone where it is needed. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, but it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and aesthetic appearance.
Our board-certified oral surgeons are committed to making your dental implant experience smooth, efficient, and as comfortable as possible from start to finish.
Bone Grafting Procedure
Bone grafting plays a crucial role in restoring jawbone structure lost due to missing teeth, gum disease, or injury. At Redlands Oral Surgery, we’re here to guide you through every aspect of the process—explaining when bone grafting is needed, the different types of grafts available, how the procedure works, what to expect during recovery, and any associated risks. Whether you need bone grafting to support dental implants or to rebuild bone following trauma or infection, our goal is to provide the information and care you need to feel confident about your treatment.
Major Bone Grafting
Bone grafting can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease, or injuries. The bone is either obtained from a tissue bank or your own bone is taken from the jaw, hip or tibia (below the knee). Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the posterior upper jaw. In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum to protect the bone graft, as well as encourage bone regeneration. This is called guided bone regeneration, or guided tissue regeneration.
Major bone grafts are typically performed to repair defects of the jaws. These defects may arise as a result of traumatic injuries, tumor surgery, or congenital defects. Large defects are repaired using the patient’s own bone. This bone is harvested from a number of different areas depending on the size needed. The skull (cranium), hip (iliac crest), and lateral knee (tibia), are common donor sites. These procedures are routinely performed in an operating room and require a hospital stay.