Tooth loss and bone loss are mutually inclusive. The supporting bone for teeth, called the alveolar bone, atrophies quickly if it starts to fall out of usage. And the mandible gets its strength from constant chewing, so alveolar bone loss can lead to jawbone loss as well.
Bone grafting is especially relevant to dental implants candidates. Dental implants rely on a metabolic process called osseointegration, which allows the titanium implant to slowly fuse with the jawbone. If there is not sufficient bone, the implant will not adapt or “take”.
Implants need at least 6 millimeters of bone to succeed. Bone that dense is usually not found in patients who have suffered catastrophic tooth loss.
For grafting, our dentists in Northridge typically choose bone from elsewhere in the mouth, or from the hip. Occasionally, they use a cow cadaver. The grafting procedure resembles the implant procedure, requiring screws and a lengthy period of osseointegration. Some grafts, especially larger ones, take as long as a year to mature.
In the type of graft called socket preservation, the bone is added to the relevant area right after a tooth extraction. Onlay grafts apply more to a future implant site.