Bone Grafting

Bone grafting preserves or builds up the jaw bone, most often alongside implant treatment. It ranges from very simple to fairly complex.

The simplest form. When a tooth is extracted, graft material is placed into the socket, a membrane placed over it to hold it in place, and the area stitched closed. It is generally left to heal for three to four months, after which an implant can be placed into the new bone. The purpose is to stop the bone collapsing as it heals — without it, the site may heal in a way that makes an implant harder or impossible.

For patients who have been missing teeth for several years or more, the bone in that area may have shrunk considerably, and more involved grafting may be needed before implants can be placed.

Most commonly an allograft — from a human tissue bank, sterilised and supplied freeze-dried. We may also use your own bone taken from another area of the jaw.