Bone grafting is generally a procedure for patients who have missing teeth. In some cases, Dr. Sowell may recommend bone grafting to build up bony material before placing an affordable dental implant. Bone grafting may also be recommended for denture-wearing patients to provide a more stable and comfortable fit.

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What is Bone Grafting?

Most dental bone grafting procedures restore your bone to its previous form following tooth loss, gum disease, or trauma. Bone grafting maintains bone structure after tooth extraction. You lose 30% of your bone the first year after your tooth is extracted and 10% each year after that. Bone grafts and implants are important to maintain and preserve the bones of your future.

Restoring and maintaining facial bone structure is important for several reasons. Many dental procedures, such as implant placement, require that the bone be as close to its original dimension and position as possible for optimal results. Also, the jaw and other facial bones support the skin and muscles responsible for our outward cosmetic appearance.

Without the support of the underlying bone, our faces can look prematurely aged.

How Does Bone Grafting Work?

During the body’s normal maintenance cycle, specialized cells in the blood continually enter your tissue to remove damaged cells and replace them with new, healthy cells.

Grafting procedures place a framework of material in the areas of missing bone into which these cells can enter and start rebuilding. Over time, your cells will remodel the graft material into your functioning bone.

Before	During healing	After
Cross-section of a jaw that has lost volume following tooth loss.	The patient’s cells migrate into the Allograft material and remodel into new bone. Over time, the host bone will remodel to replace the Allograft.	The restored jaw now has adequate room for placing a dental implant to replace the missing tooth.

Bone Grating Material Comes From Many Sources

Autograft bone is material taken from another point in the patient’s body. We transplant it to the desired site. It is a good graft material since it contains the patient’s own cells and carries no risk of disease transmission. The chief drawbacks are that it requires a second surgical procedure, and enough harvestable bone may not be easily available.

Another bone graft source is Allograft, the inorganic component of cadaver bone. The advantage of Allograft is that it does not require a second donor site, making it very convenient and safe. The disadvantage is the cost because of all the processing.

What is Allograft?

Allograft bone is material that was taken from a carefully screened organ donor. Personnel process donor material and ensure safety and improve handling characteristics. Allograft bone is well-documented and has an excellent safety record.

Advantages of Allograft

• Readily available
• No second surgical site
• Proven results
• Exceptional safety record

Allograft for Ridge Augmentation

Patients with missing teeth frequently experience bone loss. When too much bone is lost, ridge augmentation restores support for dental implants or a denture. Dr. Sowell can use allograft bone graft material to restore your jaw bone to its natural shape so it can support the restoration with either a dental implant or denture.

Schedule a Consultation For Dental Bone Grafting

If you need implants or dentures and feel you may need bone grafting dental surgery in North Texas, call our Plano office at (972) 382-6855. We have helped many people from the Dallas, Plano, Frisco, and Southlake County areas and can help you, too. Call for a complimentary consultation, or you can request a consultation online.