Bone Grafting, Cupertino CA

Bone Graft Surgery

Over a period of time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth atrophies or is reabsorbed, just like any other bone in the body.  This phenomenon is referred to as osteoporosis, which is the reason why they always recommend we use weight-bearing exercises to stimulate our bone to stick around as we age.  Natural teeth and dental implantsare the only way to stimulate your jaw bone to stick around. Once your teeth are lost, the supporting bone structure, usually referred to as “alveolar bone” will slowly reabsorb, leaving little bone to work with. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. In these situations, we are able to “augment” or add bone-like material containing calcium to give the body the building blocks to regenerate the lost bone.  This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and aesthetic appearance.

Major Bone Grafting

Bone grafting can improve implant sites with inadequate bone structure that was lost due to previous extractions, gum disease or injuries. These days bone is either obtained from synthetic or natural resources.  You can even use your own bone is taken from other parts of the jaw, hip or tibia (below the knee). Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the posterior part of the upper jaw. In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum and protect the bone graft and encourage bone regeneration. This is called guided bone regeneration or guided tissue regeneration.  We are also using Bone Morphogenetic Protein, aka “BMP” for implant sites and cleft lip & palate. This is a protein naturally found in our body that stimulates natural bone growth. This is reserved for the most severe cases of bone loss, as this material can be very expensive! 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 sites depending on the size of the defect. The skull (cranium), hip (iliac crest), and lateral knee (tibia), are common donor sites. These procedures require a hospital stay as they are typically performed in the operating room at a hospital.