Bone Grafting
Major & Minor Bone Grafting
Missing teeth over a period of time can cause your jaw bone to atrophy, or resorb. This often results in poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for the placement of dental implants as well as long term shifting of remaining teeth and changes to facial structure. Most patients, in these situations, are not candidates for dental implants.
Fortunately, today we have the ability to grow bone where it is needed. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, but it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and aesthetic appearance.
Major Bone Grafting
Bone grafting can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease, or injuries. The bone is either obtained from a tissue bank or your own bone is taken from the jaw, hip or tibia (below the knee). Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the posterior upper jaw. In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum to protect the bone graft, as well as encourage bone regeneration. This is called guided bone regeneration, or guided tissue regeneration.
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 areas depending on the size needed. The skull (cranium), hip (iliac crest), and lateral knee (tibia), are common donor sites. These procedures are routinely performed in an operating room and require a hospital stay.
Patient Stories on Bone Grafting
I had a lot of problems with my teeth for a long, long time, and at one time, we were sitting over dinner. Dr. Cassidy was there, and I shared the information with him. He suggested I see him, and I did, and from then on, it was superb. I was very, very comfortable with Dr. Cassidy. He is just so professional and so caring that you are thankful that you are with him. [He] extracted teeth — several — filled them with bone and did the implant, and I must say, my procedure was outstanding. Cincinnati Oral Surgery is your place to go.
-Nadim
I’ve had three extractions done, and Dr. Cassidy did my first extraction. Then, Dr. Pieper did my second extraction with a little bit of bone grafting. And then finally, most recently, Dr. Wilcox did an extraction and some bone grafting, and then, of course, the implant on all three of them. All of the people here were very caring, and during the procedure, they were terrific — I’m assuming because I was out. But they came in and talked to my wife and let her know that everything was working out just dandy. My implants feel very, very natural. They are just like a part of my regular other sets of teeth. Although, I will say that they feel just a little bit stronger. I would highly recommend Cincinnati Oral Surgery to anyone that has to have a procedure like this done.
-Alan
When I found out I needed to have my wisdom teeth pulled, I came and met with Dr. Cassidy, and he spent quite a bit of time explaining to me what would happen. Everything went really, really well, and I will say that after the procedure, Dr. Cassidy called me that evening to see how I was doing, but it was very comforting to get that phone call. When I found out I needed to have a bone graft done, I absolutely knew that I would come back to see Dr. Cassidy. I knew that I would be taken care of and I would be comfortable, so I didn’t have any concerns with that. If any of my friends or family would need any kind of oral surgery from this area — Cincinnati/Anderson area — Mason, OH, Florence, KY, Batavia, I would highly recommend Cincinnati Oral Surgery.
-Micha