NE Philadelphia Office: 215-677-8686 Einstein Center One, Suite 211-212, 9880 Bustleton Ave., Phila. PA 19115 Map It Ambler Office: 215-643-4393 140 East Butler Ave., Ambler, PA 19002 Map It
If you’ve been told you weren’t a candidate for dental implants because of jawbone deterioration, don’t despair! We regularly address inadequate bone support with a variety of grafting techniques including one of our favorites, known as an autogenous bone graft, or an autograft.
An expert on the procedure, Dr. Fava recently spoke to colleagues from around the world about autografts at the 36th annual meeting of the International Society of Periodontal Plastic Surgeons, where he also received an “Outstanding Achievement Award” for his presentation.
What is Bone Resorption?
With healthy teeth, bone tissue in your jaw is “alive” and constantly regenerating. If you’ve lost one or more teeth, are experiencing severe gum disease and/or have been using dentures for a long period, something called bone resorption or shrinkage is common. Your normal bone tissue is not stimulated (like when you chew with your natural teeth), and new tissue doesn’t develop as normal. This decrease in bone density makes for insufficient support for a replacement tooth. You need this normal volume so that your jaw can properly fuse with the dental post of the implant in a natural process called osseointegration. Lack of this jawbone tissue can also affect your facial appearance with wrinkles and sagging.
An autogenous bone graft is considered the “gold standard” for building up bone material in the mouth. This organic process involves taking a tiny fragment of healthy bone tissue from another part of your body (usually the mouth) and using it to regenerate bone tissue where the implant will be subsequently positioned, letting you eventually eat, chew, speak and smile again with ease and confidence.
If you’ve been told you need bone grafting due to bone atrophy or “resorption” prior to dental implant surgery, here’s why you may want to consider this biological form of jawbone regeneration:
Advantages of Autogenous Bone Grafting
With an autograft, your body tells the graft what to do, rather than the graft having to conform with your body. For individuals who’ve previously experienced complications or even failure with bone grafts utilizing foreign materials, our “gold standard” technique could be just the answer you seek.
Bone grafts in general are very common —the Cleveland Clinic estimates that more than two million procedures are done each year. The autogenous bone grafting technique is more unusual and should only be performed by specialists like our board-certified periodontists at the Pennsylvania Center for Dental Implants and Periodontics. We’ll help you safely and predictably achieve a new and improved smile meant to last a lifetime.
Contact us at one of our two convenient locations in NE Philadelphia (215-677-8686) or Ambler, PA (215-643-4393) to arrange a consultation.
