Bone Grafting

Bone grafting procedures restore bone that has been diminished or damaged because of missing teeth, atrophy, facial injuries and fractures, or other reasons. Many patients who wish to receive dental implants or other tooth replacement treatments require a bone graft to prepare their mouth and preserve the remaining bone in the upper and lower jaw.

Dr. Ben Johnson, Dr. Sohaib Soliman, Dr. Hwi Sean Moon, Dr. Kevin Huang, and Dr. Michael Baily all have extensive surgical training and experience performing a variety of bone grafting procedures. If you want a non-removable solution to restore your missing teeth, or if you want to prevent bone loss after a tooth extraction, bone grafting may be a part of your treatment plan.

How Does Bone Grafting Work?

While there are many different types of bone grafting procedures, most treatments involve taking bone graft material and placing it in the areas that are lacking the right quality or quantity of bone. Bone grafting is a common procedure for patients who are missing a tooth or multiple teeth and whose jaw bones don’t receive proper stimulation for maintaining the correct shape. The bone grafting material is sourced from a tissue bank. After a brief healing period, the graft material will have completely integrated with the existing bone, creating a solid foundation for dental implants.

During your first visit, we may take 3D scans of your face and mouth to create detailed digital images. All of our offices are equipped with advanced technology that allows our team to accurately diagnose and treat a variety of health needs. Pacific Northwest Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons also offers many anesthesia and sedation options to choose from during any type of procedure.

Types of Bone Grafting Procedures

Many bone augmentation procedures can help prepare your mouth for dental implant placement, preserve the bone after a tooth extraction, or restore facial bone that has been lost or damaged.

Socket Preservation

After a tooth is lost or extracted, a bone graft is placed into the empty tooth socket to expedite healing and preserve the site for a subsequent dental implant placement. Once the bone graft has healed properly and integrated with your natural bone, a dental implant can be placed to restore the missing tooth site.

Ridge Expansion

Dental implants require a certain height and width of bone for successful placement. If the bone that surrounds and holds the teeth (called the alveolar ridge) has deteriorated too much, your surgeon can perform a ridge expansion to allow for dental implant placement. In a typical ridge expansion procedure, the oral surgeon will divide the bony ridge, then fill the space between the bone segments with bone graft material, resulting in a wider, taller alveolar ridge.

Sinus Lift

The sinuses, located on either side of the nose, are just above the upper molars. The bone separating the sinuses from the roots of the upper back molars is often very thin, which can make dental implant placement difficult. To safely place implants in the sinus region, we offer a sinus lift procedure, in which your surgeon will carefully lift the sinus and place a bone graft beneath it. The extra bone thickens the wall between the mouth and the sinus cavity, creating a stable base to secure the dental implants.

Nerve Repositioning

The nerve that gives feeling to the lower lip and chin (known as the inferior alveolar nerve) runs through the lower jaw. In rare cases, it is impossible to place dental implants or remove teeth without potentially damaging the nerve. To make room for your treatment, our surgeons can make a small opening in the bone to expose the nerve, then move it to the side. A bone graft will then be placed to cover the opening and keep the nerve in place.

Platelet-Rich Growth Factors

Platelet-Rich Growth Factors (PRGF) can be used during treatment to stimulate healing and speed up the recovery process. PRGF is developed from platelets that already exist in the patient’s blood; Dr. Ben Johnson, Dr. Sohaib Soliman, Dr. Hwi Sean Moon, Dr. Kevin Huang or Dr. Michael Baily will take a small blood sample at the beginning of the procedure and apply the growth factors to the surgical site once the procedure is over. Patients who utilize this technique often experience a shorter recovery after their bone grafting procedure because PRGF provides three to five times the amount of growth stimulation, causing the graft to heal faster.

Bone Grafts in Auburn, Federal Way, Renton, Maple Valley, and Puyallup, WA

Pacific Northwest Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons perform a variety of bone grafting procedures to better serve a wide variety of patients’ needs. Schedule a consultation at one of our Washington offices to find out how our highly skilled oral surgeons can improve your oral health.