What is a Synthetic Bone Graft?

For dental implants to be successful, there must be enough bone to support them. You may not have enough bone because of tooth loss from periodontal (gum) disease, injury or a developmental defect. If your jaw is too short, too narrow or both, you will need a procedure to add bone to your jaw before implants can be placed.

Synthetic bone graft is a procedure using a hydroxyapatite or similar biocompatible substance, which has comparable mechanical properties to bone, to “build” bone so that dental implants can be placed. These bonelike materials are grafted (added) to the jaw and then we wait for the grafted material to fuse with the existing bone over several months.

There are several different procedures that can be used for bone augmentation. When appropriate we can recommend a procedure depending on the type, location and number of implants to be used and discuss all of the options available to you.