With advances in medial and dental research, new and effective surgical procedures have been developed to repair and grow new bone in the jaw bones and around teeth.
WHAT ARE BONE GRAFTING & GBR?
The surgical procedure that utilizes a material called a bone graft to replace missing bone is called a bone graft. This bone graft material also assists your body in regrowing lost bone in the area. Guided Bone Regeneration or GBR, is used to encourage new bone growth by the placement of a membrane over the bone graft site. The membrane also prevents the growth of scar tissue in the grafted site.
WHY ARE A BONE GRAFT & GBR NEEDED?
When part of your body is missing bone, bone grafts and GBR are needed. When a bone is missing portions of it—doctors sometimes refer to this as a “bony defect.” In regards to the jaw and its potential bone defects, such cases include periodontal defects which surround the roots of teeth; defects which can follow tooth extractions; long-term tooth loss or trauma causing a generalized decrease in the mass of the jaw bone; and cysts or tumor surgery resulting in these types of defects.
Probing and Adequate Radiographs (Cat-Scans, Panoramic, Computerized Digital X-Rays)
Enable Proper Treatment Planning for Membrane Guided Bone Regeneration.
HOW ARE BONE GRAFT & GBR PROCEDURES PERFORMED?
The following is one example of these procedures following tooth extraction:
Rationale for Socket Preservation after Extraction
After tooth extraction, the bone throughout the area will usually change in appearance and decrease in size. The shrinkage of the bone in the area can make it difficult to place a conventional bridge or an implant-supported crown. In order to minimize bone loss, maintain the bone ridge, and therefore, preserve the bone for function and aesthetics, your p;eriodontist may recommend you get bone grafting at the time of tooth extraction. Modern bone grafting materials and techniques make it possible for your dentist to preserve bone that was impossible to preserve in the past.
Please note that these pictures are examples of results and that individual results may vary.