Today,
more then ever, advances in medicine and dentistry have led to new and expanded
areas of treatment. Two such areas, bone grafting and guided bone regeneration
(GBR) in the jaw bones and around teeth, have recently experienced tremendous
growth. Procedures to repair and grow new bone, unheard of just a few years ago,
are now part of routine dental surgical care. This page will help you better understand
what bone grafting and GBR are, what options are available to you and what benefits
you may gain from these procedures.
WHAT
ARE BONE GRAFTING AND GUIDED BONE REGENERATION (GBR)?
Bone grafting
is a surgical procedure that replaces missing bone with a bone graft. This material
not only replaces missing bone, but also helps your body regrow lost bone. This
newbone growth strengthens the grafted area by forming a bridge between your existing
bone and the graft. Over time the newly formed bone will replace muchof the graftedmaterial.
GBR is a procedure in which a membrane is placed over thebone graft site. This
membrane further encourages new bone to grow and also prevents the growth of scar
tissue into the grafted site.
WHY
ARE BONE GRAFTS AND GBR NEEDED?
Bone grafts and GBR are needed when a part of your body is missing bone. Examples
of bone loss are: loss surrounding roots to teeth (periodontal defects); loss
which occurs following tooth extraction; generalized decreased in quantity of
jaw bone from trauma or long-term missing teeth.