What is bone grafting? What is the material made of? How does it work?

Bone grafting is a technique of increasing the amount of bone in deficient sites. Bone can be taken from the same person, either from the mouth area or from other parts of the body like the hip. It is either used as an entire block, or crushed into particle form and packed into deficient areas.

There are also commercially-prepared bone graft materials in block or particle form. These are commonly sourced from other humans, cow, horse, coral or synthetic material. They all work  because they have a structure very similar to our bone.They can successfully correct depressions, deficient bone thickness or height in crucial areas for implant placement. It is understandable that different people have different preferences and may wish to avoid certain types of bone graft material. You should discuss this with your surgeon.

It is important to understand that you are not keeping a piece of foreign material in your body. Whether it is your own bone or bone from another source, they essentially act like a scaffold. Your body uses this scaffold as a framework on which your own new bone is formed. The graft bone is eventually replaced when your own bone is completely formed.

Bone-grafting adds to the total treatment time of your implant therapy but this is an essential and often unavoidable part of your treatment. It is definitely worth your while when you see the final result.