The Benefits of Synthetic Bone

Having a strong and healthy jaw is important for overall dental wellness and even the aesthetics of your smile. To reinforce this structure, bone grafts are often performed after a tooth has been extracted or before dental implants are placed.

While developing your treatment plan, Dr. Okamoto determines if a bone graft will improve your dental health. If so, you have more than one choice available: synthetic, lab-created grafts or organic bone.

Minimally Invasive Care

You always have the option to have bone taken from areas that include the chin or thigh. As your own organic tissue, these grafts have a high likelihood of successfully bonding with surrounding tissue. However, taking that bone from elsewhere on your body creates a secondary treatment site.
Synthetic bone grafts are provided by a lab and can be placed directly at the site of the lost tooth or depleted bone volume. There is no need to create a secondary treatment area.

Safe and Sterile Grafting Procedures

While every measure is taken to ensure donor tissue added to your smile is safe and sterile, regardless of the material used, synthetic bone grafts are created in a sterile lab environment  and not taken from a donor. Donor bone must be processed to make it safe for grafting, but synthetic bone does not increase risk for health complications.

Your synthetic bone graft is created with the use of many different and biocompatible materials, including protein, growth factors, and white dental composite. This process minimizes the risk of rejection and irritation for patients who require bone augmentation before additional restorative dentistry can be performed.

Important Considerations

There are certainly many benefits to having a bone graft, no matter which material you choose – and every approach has its own unique benefits and considerations to take into account before you decide on a treatment method. Synthetic tissue creates a bridge or supportive framework that encourages bone to grow around and over it, in a manner similar to how a trellis directs plants to grow and spread in a desired location. On the other hand, organic bone expands from the area of placement on its own, growing naturally.

Both options create better support for teeth and implants, but one grafting material supports bone development while the other creates it.

If you have questions about dental grafting surgeries, don’t hesitate to call our office! We look forward to explaining all of the ways our team can help you enjoy a healthier smile.