The following is a surgical procedure that took place at Great Boca Smiles, using a non-invasive technique to add mass to the Crestal Bone, to support a future Dental Implant.
In some cases, patients are not candidates for dental implants due to the lack of enough bone for proper support. That issue can be solved today using a Bone Graft to increase bone mass to support the implant and hold the dental implant properly in place. The Bone Graft can be made by using the patient’s blood (PRP) to grow new tissue mixed with the granulated bone. The new “Bone” was placed through a small hole where the missing tooth is and carefully added above the sinus membrane where the bone is needed to give support for an implant.
In this case, the patient also has a damaged bicuspid in front of the space, which cannot be repaired and needs to be removed. Removing it immediately would have created a bigger sinus defect. Instead, it was made stable and placed in a transitional crown. Once the new bone forms this tooth can be removed and site augmented with more bone for two future dental implants. (See image 1).
The first step was to insert a Bone Graft, using a special surgical kit that allows for a non-invasive crestal approach procedure. The bicuspid will be removed at a later time, allowing the patient to first heal from the procedure, and prevent the surgery from being more invasive. The bone is expected to be ready to accept a dental implant in approximately 12 weeks.
An implant which will take the place of the removed tooth will be placed in the new bone, just to the side of the bicuspid after it is removed. In this first step, Dr. Markowitz in placing the graft and is using a special surgical kit, to provide a non-invasive method to gently penetrate the jaw bone and add bone to the sinus cavity to support the dental implant.
In a later procedure, Dr. Markowitz will remove the bicuspid and place another dental implant using a surgical guided technique. Once the dental implants are installed, temporary teeth will be provided for functional purposes. Once the implants have integrated with the bone, a dental impression will be taken to make screw-retained implant crowns. These crowns fit on the implants precisely. The new “teeth” should fit perfectly and allow the patient to have a better experience.
Definitions:
A dental implant is made of titanium and has a cylindrical shape, similar to a screw. The implant is placed into the jawbone and serves as a secure root for the new tooth. Once in place, the implant can be used to attach different types of dental restorations, such as crowns, bridges or dentures. [Learn more about Dental Implants.]
Crestal bone is defined as the region of the tooth alveolus (the bony socket for the root of a tooth) measured from the cement to enamel junction (CEJ) to a point 4 mm apical.
Source: NIH
Bone Grafting can help preserve bone volume needed for implant placement. Surgical techniques are also available to regenerate bone that has been lost, to allow for anchoring implants.
