There are a number of Bone graft options available for patients who need to reverse jaw bone loss in preparation for dental implants.

Bone grafting is the replacement or augmentation of the portion of the jaw bone that anchors the teeth. It's a surgical procedure that's often done to reverse the loss or restoration of bone that may have occurred due to tooth loss, trauma, disease or ill-fitting dentures, and to rebuild the bone structure beneath the gums in preparation for the placement of dental implants or other tooth replacements. Learn more about the potential causes of jaw bone loss. When bone graft is implanted in the jaw, it doesn't just simply fill a void in the bone; it may also help promote new bone growth in that location. When successful, bone grafting can restore both the height and width of your jaw bone.

There are several bone graft options, and they differ in how they help promote bone formation. They include:

• Autogenous Bone Grafts
• Allogeneic Bone Grafts
• Xenogenic Bone Grafts

These grafting options are preferred by many patients and dental professionals alike because they eliminate the potentially painful second harvesting procedure. However, because allograft and xenograft lack auto graft’s bone forming properties, bone regeneration may take somewhat longer than it does when using the patient's own bone and the outcome may be less predictable.

Bone Graft Substitutes
Bone graft substitutes are commercially produced synthetic products that have many of the same bone forming properties as human bone, and are a safe and proven alternative to auto graft and allograft. One of the advantages of using a bone graft substitute instead of autogenous bone is that it eliminates the need to harvest the patient's own bone, thus potentially reducing the risk and pain associated with the harvest procedure.