Dental implants are a great way to replace missing teeth, but your jawbone must be healthy and contain sufficient bone support in order for the implant to be successful. If things like infection, gum disease, or previous dental work have caused jawbone deterioration, then your jaw will need to be built up to be able to securely hold an implant. This is called dental implant bone grafting.
There are several methods of bone grafting for this purpose:
Autogenous bone is taken from your own body, such as the hip or chin, and moved to the dental implant area. It will need to heal and grow new bone there for 3 to 6 months. If bone is recovered from areas other than your mouth, it will be done in a hospital by an orthopedic surgeon and transferred to your dentist for implantation at the dentist’s office.
Allograft bone is taken from cadavers at bone banks.
Xenograft involves taking bone from other animals, such as cows.
No matter the bone’s source, the goal is to stimulate your body’s bone growth in the implant area. Once that occurs and you have enough healthy jawbone to support a dental implant, your dentist will be able to perform the procedure. The process for getting implants normally takes at least several months to complete because once the titanium implant is inserted into your jawbone, it must heal before a dental crown can be placed on top to finish the treatment. This means that having dental implant bone grafting performed prior to the implant procedure itself will make it an even lengthier process. However, it’s the only way you can become a candidate for implants if your jawbone lacks the ability to support them.
E-Mail Us 
416-595-5490
