Implant Bone Grafting

Dental bone grafting in Manchester is carried out to restore bone depth and mass after prolonged tooth loss, trauma or gum disease.

If you’ve been told you need implant bone grafting in Manchester, then you’re not alone. A dental bone graft is a common procedure that is carried out prior to the placement of an implant-based restoration when there is not sufficient jaw bone present to support the implant.

Despite any reassurance, patients may feel somewhat daunted at the prospect of undergoing bone graft surgery, particularly if they aren’t sure what the process entails and why it’s carried out. For this reason, we’ll endeavour to help you to develop a better understanding of the bone grafting procedure, why it’s necessary, and what to expect.

Firstly, why implant bone grafting in Manchester is carried out? For those patients missing one or more teeth, a dental implant provides an unbeatable solution when it comes to restoring the look and function of your smile. However, in order for implant-based restorations to be successful, they need to be placed into sufficient bone mass – imagine trying to build a tower block on poor foundations! The same principle applies to dental implants.

When teeth are missing, bone tissue loss can be rapid, especially in the first few months, meaning that if any implants were to be placed, they could easily become compromised. As a result, an implant bone grafting procedure is carried out to replace missing or atrophied bone, which, in turn, helps shore up the foundations, allowing the dental implant the greatest chance of success.

So now we know why implant bone grafting in Manchester is carried out. Let’s take a closer look at how grafting works.

During a bone graft, the dental surgeon may either take a section of bone from one part of your body – or, as is much the case now – use a special lab-produced bone grafting material. This is placed onto the implant site area.

Over a period of time, osteogenic cells (the divisive cells that are responsible for new bone growth) will develop into osteoblasts which, in turn, have the ability to repopulate bone defects. The end result is a solid, healthy bone mass into which a dental implant can then be placed. When we talk about bone grafting, it usually comes in one of two forms. Either block grafting or particulate bone grafting.

Here’s how it works…

Block grafting

As the name suggests, a block graft is basically a block of artificial or natural bone tissue which is either ordered or harvested at the source. This block is placed in its entirety onto the implant site and simply tacked into position using a tiny titanium fixed screw. The graft is left to heal for some months until it becomes a natural part of the patient’s body. Once the healing phase is complete, the bone site is ready to receive the implant.

Particulate bone grafting

In contrast, particulate bone grafting is a little more complex but is the preferred choice of graft when confronted with a smaller site, such as a single tooth.

Instead of a block of bone, particulate grafting in Manchester consists of a special synthetic powder or collection of particles which are placed on a membrane (similar to a small piece of thin card). This thin membrane can either be resorbable – often made from collagen, or non-resorbable – or made from a mix of titanium and PTFE.

The membrane is important because not only does it act as a growth platform promoting speedy bone growth, but it also acts as a barrier preventing the gum tissue from growing into the bone cavity. This process is otherwise known as ‘guided tissue’ or ‘guided bone regeneration’.

For particulate bone grafting, the membrane or scaffold which houses the particulate bone is placed on-site over the bone but underneath the gum. While dissolvable membranes tend to resorb within a few days to a few months, non-resorbable varieties will need to be removed surgically once the bone graft has been taken.

Particulate vs bone block bone grafting

Naturally, there are pros and cons to each of the grafts, and while block grafting means that the implanted bone tissue remains completely autogenous to the patient, there remains a problem of having to create a second surgical site. Conversely, particle bone grafting solves this problem, but because particulate powders or particles are typically synthetic, they can, in rare instances, run the risk of non-integration. That said, for the most part, healing rates are equivalent in terms of time and the production of quality bone.

Bone grafting in Manchester

If you have any more questions regarding bone grafting in Manchester and would like to find out more, or would like to know whether you’re a candidate for dental implants, don’t hesitate to book a consultation with Dr Karim and the team at Cheadle Hulme Dental and Cosmetics. We have the skills to restore and rejuvenate your smile.

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