Monday, December 5, 2011

Bone Augmentation for Dental Implants


Dental implants are a revolutionary procedure used to replace missing teeth, but unfortunately, not all men and women are candidates for the treatment. Dental implants, whether traditional or mini, require a certain amount of bone in the jaw for successful implantation—both the quality and quantity of bone material will determine overall success. If patients are not initially candidates because they do not have enough bone in their jaw, there are alternatives. One of which is bone augmentation.

Bone augmentation for dental implants allows patients that are not candidates to undergo implant treatments. Due to advancements in medical and dental technology, today there are several augmentation treatments available to increase bone in the jaw.  These include endogenous bone grafting, which is bone taken directly from the patient (from a different area of the body), cultivated bone tissue, and synthetic bone grafting.

There are pros and cons to each procedure and patients success rates will vary based on the individual. Endogenous bone grafting is often the most successful, however the transplanted bone should not exceed a certain size. This is because when the bone is transplanted it contains different cells. As soon as it is removed from its original location, it is cut off from its nutrient supply. Endogenous bone will successfully transplant when the block is small, as nutrients will reach the transplanted bone faster and allow for higher success rate.

Cultivated bone tissue and synthetic bone augmentation can be successful in patients, but both have a higher rate of rejection. Because of this, the overall state of a patient’s oral health, including remaining teeth, as well as the dental objective will ultimately determine which type of bone augmentation procedure to use for dental implants.

Discussing all of your options will allow you to determine the best course of treatment as there are often procedures and treatments that accompany bone grafting, in order to increase success rate. Bone augmentation for dental implants is not something that will work for everyone, but there are other treatments available that can help you to replace missing teeth. Partial and full dental prosthetics are viable alternatives and help patients to achieve a natural smile.

If you are not currently a candidate for dental implants, find out if bone augmentation procedures can help you to enhance your smile.

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