Types Of Bone Grafts

Missing teeth can have devastating consequences on the jawbone. After time has passed, the jawbone in and around the missing tooth will begin to atrophy and reabsorb. This can be a major problem, especially if you are interested in dental implants, as there may not be enough quality bone available to have the implants put into place. In these situations, a patient likely won't be a dental implant candidate.

With bone grafting, missing bone isn't the end of the road, as we now have the chance to replace the bone and to promote the growth of new bone in that location. This will allow us to place implants in the proper position, but it will also provide the opportunity to restore the original appearance and functionality of your teeth and jaws.

An autogenous bone graft, which may be more simply referred to as an autograft, is made from your own natural bone, but it will be taken from a different part of your body. The bone may be harvested from another portion of your jaw, chin, lower leg, skull, or hip. Autografts are beneficial in that live bone is used as the grafting material, so it will contain the cellular elements needed to encourage bone growth.

On the other hand, the autograft isn't a one-and-done procedure. You'll need a second appointment to harvest the bone, and if you are in poor health, going through two procedures might not be an option.

Both xenogenic and allogenic bone grafts are beneficial in that they only require one procedure. Since bone won't actually be harvested from your body, when you show up for your appointment, you can have the bone implanted that day. However, these two types of bone grafts don't have the same bone-forming properties as the autograft, so regeneration will likely take longer. Further, it will be more difficult to predict the outcome and how well the bone will re-grow.