Jaw Bone Augmentation

When a patient is referred to our office for replacement of missing teeth, an evaluation of the remaining bone and gum tissue is one of the first things Dr. David completes. In order for a dental implant to be placed in the most ideal location, there needs to be adequate bone remaining – both vertically and horizontally.

The longer a patient has been missing a tooth (or teeth), the more jawbone has resorbed away. For patients that no longer have the ideal bone present to support a dental implant, a ridge augmentation must be performed before a dental implant can be pursued. During this procedure, Dr. David will lift away the overlying gum tissue to expose the bony defect. This defect is then filled with bone grafting material and covered with a resorbable and/or nonresorbable membrane to protect the graft particles.

This bone graft material substance is called freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA). FDBA is obtained from a donor and every vial must pass rigorous testing and the strictest guidelines of the American Association of Tissue Banks to verify that every graft is free of disease before being allowed to be used on any patient. After six months of healing, your bone has replaced the grafted bone. Once healing is complete, the bone now has the ideal dimensions in both quality and quantity for ideal dental implant placement.