Bone Grafting for Dental Implants

Have you been told you do not have enough bone to support dental implants? Don’t worry, we have many techniques available to help you!

When teeth are lost, the bone supporting the tooth including the gums usually shrink. In order to place implants, the bone requires to have sufficient width and height to anchor the dental implant. Most patients don’t need any bone grafting to be acceptable for dental implants, however you can be reassured that we utilise the latest products and techniques to provide you with best outcome.

Guided Bone Regeneration When implants are placed, sometimes there are small voids present next to the bone. During guided bone regeneration, bone fillers are placed on these voids and are covered up with a membrane to allow normal bone to grow. Some of the materials used during the guided bone regeneration are derived from animal derivatives and we will discuss this with you during the planning stage. Most bone grafting can be placed simultaneously with dental implants reducing the need for further surgery.

Socket Preservation Bone is usually lost after a tooth has been removed so we can add bone filler immediately to the socket in order to ensure that we preserve as much bone as possible. We would normally recommend this option if you are planning to have dental implants in the future but you are not ready yet in order to maintain the width and volume of bone. This technique usually reduce the amount of bone grafting in the future.

Sinus Lift / Sinus Augmentation The upper molars are very close to the maxillary sinuses, which are empty bone pockets under the cheek bone. If an upper molar tooth has been removed, the bone sitting underneath the sinus can drop down meaning there is insufficient bone height to place an implant. Fortunately we have a new technique to help insert bone filler into the sinus and encourage bone to grow and make it suitable for implants.

Ridge Expansion If the bone is a little thin to accept an implant, we have got specialised instruments to gently widen the bone without too much trauma. This technique reduces the need for block grafts, guided bone regeneration, and reduces delayed placement of the implant.

Platelet Rich Fibrin (A-PRF) Developed by Dr Joseph Choukroun from France, this latest pioneering technique increases the healing potential of bone and soft tissues. PRF is a product derived from centrifuging the patient’s own blood and is rich in white blood cells and growth factors. Since the product is from the patient, it is 100% biocompatible. We are very fortunate to be one of very few practices in the UK to be up-to-date with this latest groundbreaking technique.