A bone graft rebuilds or augments bone in a specific area. This procedure is often necessary before placing dental implants, which are artificial tooth roots surgically inserted into the jawbone. For successful dental implant integration, sufficient bone volume and density are crucial. A bone graft provides a stable and strong foundation, ensuring the implant can properly fuse with the surrounding bone and withstand chewing forces.
Bone from Your Own Body
One primary source for bone grafts is the patient’s own body, known as an autogenous graft. This method uses the patient’s own living bone tissue. Surgeons commonly harvest this bone from various sites, including the jawbone itself, the chin, or more distant locations like the hip (iliac crest) or shin bone.
Using the patient’s own bone offers significant advantages. There is no risk of disease transmission or immune rejection, as the material is perfectly biocompatible. Autogenous bone contains living bone cells and growth factors that actively promote new bone formation, a process known as osteogenesis and osteoinduction. This biological activity greatly enhances the healing and integration of the graft.
The procedure to obtain an autogenous graft involves a minor surgical step at the donor site. While this does mean an additional surgical area, the benefits of using the body’s own material often outweigh this consideration. The harvested bone provides a framework that encourages natural bone to grow into and around it.
Human Donor and Animal-Derived Bone
Beyond using the patient’s own tissue, bone graft materials can also originate from human donors or animal sources. Allografts are bone materials processed from deceased human donors. These grafts undergo stringent screening and sterilization procedures to ensure their safety and remove any potentially harmful components.
Allografts eliminate the need for a second surgical site on the patient. They serve as a scaffold, guiding the patient’s natural bone cells to grow into the graft material. While these grafts do not contain living cells, their processed matrix supports new bone formation.
Xenografts, conversely, are derived from animal sources, with bovine (cow) bone being the most common. These materials undergo extensive purification and sterilization processes to remove all organic components, such as proteins, which could trigger an immune response. This thorough processing leaves behind only the mineralized bone matrix.
Like allografts, xenografts act as a framework for new bone growth. Both allografts and xenografts offer a readily available supply of grafting material. They are frequently used when a large volume of bone is needed or when avoiding a second surgical procedure for the patient is desired.
Lab-Made Bone Substitutes
In addition to biological sources, synthetic bone graft materials, known as alloplasts, are manufactured in a laboratory setting. These materials are composed of biocompatible substances that mimic the mineral structure of natural bone. Common components include calcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, or bioactive glass.
These lab-made substitutes provide a scaffold for the patient’s natural bone cells to migrate into and deposit new bone tissue. Over time, the body gradually integrates these synthetic materials as new bone forms around and within them.
Alloplasts offer an unlimited supply and consistency in composition. They also completely eliminate any risk of disease transmission or immune rejection, unlike grafts from other human or animal sources. These materials offer a predictable and safe option for dental implant placement.