What Is Bone Regeneration?

Periodontal disease can, if left untreated, bring about the loss of bone structure.  Eventually, this increases the chance for teeth to be lost.  Once the natural teeth are gone, the surrounding bone infrastructure in the jaw will begin to dissolve.  The loss of bone structure can cause aesthetic issues and can make the use of dentures an uncomfortable option.  The good news is that bone regeneration has made it possible to regain the lost bone structure.  This improves facial appearance and also provides stronger support for dentures and bridges when teeth are missing.

Guided bone regeneration (GBR) uses surgical procedures to influence and encourage the growth of new bone tissue in negatively affected areas.

Three types of bone graft procedures are in use:

• Autogenous
• Allograft
• Xenograft

With an autogenous graft, bone tissue is transplanted from one part of the patient’s body to a location in the mouth where bone structure has been compromise.  The greatest benefit of this method is that the tissue all comes from the patient and is less likely to be rejected or infected.

Allografts are also a transplanting of human bone tissue to the mouth.  The difference is that the tissue comes from a human donor source.  The screening process is thorough and safe.

Xenografts transplant bone tissue from a non-human source to the mouth of the patient.

What Is The Process Of Guided Bone Tissue Regeneration?

A local anesthetic is used to numb both areas involved in the transplant.  The location where the tissue will be removed and the area where the bone structure is compromised are both treated with the anesthetic.  Next, an incision is made in the gums in the area where the bone structure will be strengthened. The dentist will also need to make an incision where the bone material will be harvested.  The transplanted material is anchored to the jawbone with tiny titanium screws.  The dentist may choose to use a mixture of the patient’s bone marrow and bone-grating material to aid the healing process. The incisions will then be stitched up.