It’s a natural occurrence that when teeth are missing or have been removed from the bone that any bone that’s left will deteriorate. This is known as resorption. In addition when the person has experienced gum disease or has worn dentures for long periods of time, then this can xacerbate the problem further, resulting in insufficient or unhealthy bone in which to secure the implant into. For this reason, bone grafting is often a necessary procedure prior to fitting dental implants in Richmond. At Sheen Dental we carry out bone grafting on a regular basis and as such use varying techniques to support a successful outcome. So what are some of those techniques?
Autograft
Autograft bone replacement often gives the best results and is where bone is taken from one part of the body (usually the hip area) and implanted into the area in the mouth. High success rates are achieved because unlike other forms of bone grafting, autografts are essentially living tissue with intact cells. The only disadvantage is that autografts have to be collected from another part of a patient’s body. In oral surgery it is common for bone to be taken from other areas of the jaw, but this does depend upon whether it’s sufficiently healthy enough to endure the grafting process.
Allografts
Designed as a tissue graft between the same species, but not necessarily the same genetic make-up, bone is taken from other humans (usually in the form of cadavers from bone banks). These are ideal in many cases as they don’t cause the dental patient to undergo any unnecessary surgery to remove bone from other areas, but it does require initial treatment before it can be grafted. Chemical treatments such as acid-washing, irradiation and even freeze drying all help to ensure that the bone is pure, before being grafted.
Xenograft
In essence this is bone from other species not related to humans for example, from cows. Xenografts are often chosen because of the possibility to extract large amounts of bone with the exact same micro-structure. This is an important factor for healthy bone growth.
Alloplast
This is where synthetic material not related to bone is used for grafting. When it comes to a dental implant, in Richmond and other areas up and down the country, hydroxyapatite is often used in the form of a membrane or porous disk which can act in the same way as real bone. When placed, it has the ability to facilitate and stimulate bone growth.
If you want to find out more about bone grafting procedures or any other process used to aid the success of dental implantation then you need to contact Sheen Dental. We’ve been fitting dental implants in Richmond for many years and our experienced team led by Dr Harmit Kalsi are standing by to answer any questions that you may have. Contact us today on 020 8876 5277 or visit our website at www.sheendental.co.uk