After a tooth has been lost, the bone starts to resorb or shrink due to the fact that the root of the tooth is no longer there to stimulate the bone. Over time the ridge will become thin and will not be able to hold dental implants This is also a problem for patients who want to wear a removable denture.
During bone graft surgery, the dentist will remove bone from an area of your jaw called the ramus or from the chin area. The removed bone is shaped into small blocks and screwed onto the thin area of your jaw. A bone substitute product is used to fill the area and a covering is placed over the site to improve healing.
When a block graft is performed, autogenous bone is the most preferred because there is less risk of graft rejection due to the fact that the graft originated from the patient's own body.
Benefits:
Making it possible for a patient to have dental implants even if their jaw bone has thinned.
