Ridge Augmentation & Bone Grafting

One of the most important keys to implant success is the amount and quality of the bone that is available to support implants and the dental restorations for which they provide the critical support. Patients with healthy teeth are able to maintain their teeth with predictable success because they have a sound foundation of bone around the roots of their teeth that can withstand the massive stresses that are placed on their teeth during the course of a day. Your teeth are placed under heavy stress as you chew food, where they often withstand as much as 150 lbs. per sq. inch on a regular basis. Some patients who clench or grind their teeth can experience pressure as much as 250 lbs. per sq. inch for extended periods of time. Dental implants must also withstand these same forces and an adequate foundation of bone is required for them to succeed.

Unfortunately, patients who are looking into dental implants have lost one or more natural teeth and the bone around these open spaces has usually been compromised by disease, developmental defects, trauma and injury, or simply the results of bone deterioration related to long-term use of dentures. Successful placement of dental implants in many of these compromised regions will first require bone grafting by Dr. Caldwell or Dr. Dimmitt to “regenerate the missing bone” that is needed to establish a reasonable foundation for your implants to carry the loads and pressures described above.

Advances in bone grafting techniques now provide a predictable means of replacing large amounts of missing bone in many places that were not previously salvageable. Surgeons can actually “sculpt the required contours” of bone in the required sites designated by your dentist’s treatment plan, using graft materials from various sources. Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Dimmitt can often use a patient’s own bone from a different region of the jaw as the primary source for most grafts, minimizing the need for other donor products. Nothing is more predictable than a patient’s own bone for creating ideal new bone in the shortest period of time. These grafted sites are usually allowed to “mature” for five months before surgically placing implants in the newly developed bone graft sites.

Patients who are concerned with donating their own bone for these grafts can consider use of donor materials or use of a new product called “Infuse” that uses “bone morphogenic proteins” to stimulate active bone growth in compromised regions without harvesting natural bone or depending on conversion of granular donor bone. Although these new products are exciting, they are very expensive and surgeons are discovering ways to incorporate these materials into cases without making treatment with them unreasonably expensive. As with all new ideas and products, prices will drop from thousands of dollars per sample to levels that can be easily incorporated into normal fee schedules. Fortunately, our current grafting techniques are highly successful and there are very few limits in respect to “where and how much bone” can be regenerated.

Ridge modifications like this have been shown to greatly improve the appearance of implant restorations and they definitely increase your chances for successful implant-supported crowns that can last for years to come. Good News. These reconstructive procedures can enhance your restorative success both esthetically and functionally, providing a “Second Chance” for comfortable and effective use of dental appliances.

If you are interested in discussing regeneration of your compromised bony support and replacement of your missing teeth with an esthetic and naturally functioning smile, ask Dr. Caldwell, Dr. Dimmitt, and their staff to arrange a consultation to start your “First Step” towards ultimate dental health and a new confidence in your natural smile. To live a healthy lifestyle means making choices for your physical, emotional, and overall well-being. By continuing to focus on making positive decisions about your health, you can achieve overall wellness.