Bone Augmentation and Nerve Repositioning

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

Bone augmentation is a term that is used to describe a variety of procedures that are used to "build" bone so that dental implants can be placed. These procedures typically involve grafting (adding) bone or bonelike materials to the jaw, and waiting 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. Dr. Gabbaypour will select a procedure depending on the type, location and number of implants to be used. 

Building Up Bone for Several Implants

Many people are missing several teeth and need several implants. If bone needs to be built up to support several implants, a lot more bone-graft material will be needed than if a single implant is being placed. If you are having several implants placed and choose to use your own bone for a bone-graft procedure, the bone probably will have to be taken from your hip, shin or another site. This type of procedure is done in the hospital under general anesthesia, and requires an overnight stay.

Types of Bone-Augmentation Procedures

·      Sinus Lift (or elevation)

One type of bone-augmentation procedure, called a sinus lift (or elevation), increases the height of your upper jaw by filling part of your maxillary sinus (the area above your jaw on either side of your nose) with bone. This is done when there is not enough bone to allow implants to be placed in the back part of the upper jaw.

·      Ridge Expansion

A ridge expansion is a type of bone graft that can be done when the jaw is not wide enough to support implants. Dr. Gabbaypour uses a special saw to split the jaw along the top (ridge) and packs graft material into the newly created space. 

·      Distraction Osteogenesis

One of the newest procedures for augmenting areas of bone is called distraction osteogenesis. This procedure originally was used for lengthening the bones of patients with abnormally short legs. It now has been adapted for use in the mouth

"Distraction" refers to the process of separating the two pieces of bone, and "osteogenesis" refers to the forming of new bone. Distraction osteogenesis is used more often to make the jawbone taller, but it can be used to increase the bone in any direction. The procedure is becoming more common.

Nerve Repositioning

A nerve called the inferior alveolar nerve runs through the lower jaw. This nerve gives feeling to the lower lip and chin. In patients who have lost significant amounts of lower jawbone, it may not be possible to place implants without damaging this nerve. To address this problem, Dr. Gabbaypour can drill a small window in the bone and move the nerve to one side. The implants then can be placed through the bony canal previously filled by the nerve. This technique is not used very often because it is possible to damage the nerve just by moving it.