Materials used for Bone Grafting

Bone grafting is an advanced technique which is done to improve or change the volume or shape of the jawbone, and is usually done as a preparation for a dental implant treatment. The bone graft is needed when patient’s jawbone does not have enough volume or structure to support the placement of the implants, or has undergone extensive jawbone deterioration. Jawbone deterioration can be the result of long-term and untreated tooth loss, gum disease, or trauma to the area.

Bone grafts are used to augment a patient’s jawbone structure so that dental implants can be placed successfully into the areas where missing teeth are located. Without the improvement of bone structure in the affected areas, it will be nearly impossible to place the implants since there will be insufficient supporting materials to secure the implants in place.

Different Materials used for Bone Grafts

The materials used in bone grafts are characterised by where they are sourced from, with each material having unique specifications and properties..

Autografts – Also called autogenous bone, autografts are bone graft materials sourced from the patient’s own body. The bone material can be harvested from the patient’s mouth or hip areas (depending on the volume of bone material needed for the graft), and will then be placed on the jawbone using another surgical procedure. Bone grafts using autografts have a very high success rate; since the graft material came from the patient’s own body, there is a very small chance of this material being rejected.

Allografts – This bone graft material is sourced from another human donor, often procured through a bone bank. The advantage of using allografts is that the patient will not need to undergo a surgical procedure to harvest the graft material from his or her own body (in addition to the surgery needed for the bone graft itself). Extensive tests are done to determine the compatibility of an allograft to a patient, to decrease the risk of adverse reactions or rejection.

Xenografts – Xenografts are bone graft materials sourced from an animal donor, usually cows. The growth of bone is encouraged through the help of this material, but some patients may have misgivings about safety over the fact that the material was sourced from an animal.

Alloplasts – Alloplasts are bone graft materials have very similar characteristics to natural human bone structure, but are actually derived from synthetic materials. These synthetic materials do not carry any risks of transferring diseases from another human donor, or from an animal donor; however, there may still be a risk of rejection from the patient’s body after the bone grafting procedure.

a href=http://lifedentalimplants.co.uk/team-dr-azhar-a-u-sheikhDr Azhar Sheikh, founder of Life Dental Implants, is one of the UK’s most experienced dentists specializing in implant treatments.