Oral Surgery

 

 

Procedures

Bone Grafting

Over a period of time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth atrophies or is reabsorbed. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. Bone grafting is a procedure for patients who need more bone to place dental implants.

Today, we have the ability to grow bone where needed. 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.
 
Medtronic INFUSE� bonegrafting is rhBMP-2 ( recombinant engineered human bone morphogenetic protein-2), a synthetic version of a protein everyone's body produces naturally. This protein regulates bone growth and healing. It attracts your body's own bone building cells to the graft site and over time, new bone is formed and predictable growth results. Bone obtained from other oral sites or commercially available bone can also be used for grafting procedures. These areas will then have sufficient bone for the placement of dental impalnts.

 

Sinus Lift Procedure

The maxillary sinuses are behind your cheeks and on top of the upper teeth. There is often just a thin wall of bone separating the maxillary sinus and the mouth. Dental implants need bone to hold them in place. When the sinus wall is very thin, it is impossible to place dental implants in this bone.

There is a solution and it's called a sinus graft or sinus lift graft. The dental implant surgeon enters the sinus from where the upper teeth used to be. The sinus membrane is then lifted upward and donor bone is inserted into the floor of the sinus. Keep in mind that the floor of the sinus is the roof of the upper jaw. After several months of healing, the bone becomes part of the patient's jaw and dental implants can be inserted and stabilized in this new sinus bone.

If enough bone between the upper jaw ridge and the bottom of the sinus is available to stabilize the implant well, sinus augmentations and implant placement can sometimes be performed as a single procedure. If not enough bone is available, the sinus augmentation will have to be performed first, then the graft will have to mature for several months, depending upon the type of graft material used. Once the graft has matured, the implants can be placed.
 

These surgeries are performed in the out-office surgical suite under IV sedation or general anesthesia. After discharge, bed rest is recommended for one day and limited physical activity for one week.