Bone augmentation in the jaw is called augmentation in medical jargon. This operation is necessary if the patient has jawbone atrophy. There are numerous reasons for such atrophy: It is usually caused by a gap between teeth after a tooth has been extracted. Caries and periodontitis are also two well-known causes of jawbone atrophy.
Below you will find further information and specialists for jawbone augmentation.
Jaw bone augmentation is usually used when the patient requires a dental implant. This is usually the case if the existing bone mass is not sufficient for the implant to fit securely.
The jaw bone should grow onto the implant after it has been placed. Doctors refer to this as osseointegration. If the jawbone is damaged, this cannot take place. The jaw must therefore be built up first.
Jaw bone augmentation may also be necessary if a prosthesis or other dental prosthesis is planned. Furthermore, jaw bone augmentation is used in the context of periodontology.
In the case of advanced periodontitis, the tooth becomes loose and the jawbone is damaged. In order to strengthen the periodontium, jaw bone augmentation may then be necessary.
In this case, a specific bone preservation procedure is used. Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR).
Bone augmentation is necessary if the bone mass is not sufficient to insert a dental implant @ bilderzwerg /AdobeStock
Augmentation can be carried out in different ways. First of all, experts differentiate according to the material used.
In most cases, dentists use the patient's own bone from the chin, jaw or iliac crest. Natural bone replacement materials are used as an admixture to these own bones or for smaller jaw defects. They usually come from animal bones. Synthetic bone substitutes, on the other hand, use an industrially produced material.
The procedure varies depending on which method is used:
In addition to the material used, doctors also differentiate between other surgical methods.
The most common variant is the sinus lift. This is a minimally invasive procedure that is performed on the upper jaw. Doctors lift the sinus floor, i.e. the dividing wall between the oral cavity and maxillary sinus.
The alveolar ridge is therefore raised from the inside of the oral cavity to create space for additional bone. If the patient suffers from a loss of bone mass due to periodontitis or if several molars have been lost, the sinus lift is well suited.
There may also be a genetic predisposition to bone loss or the quality of the bone may not be good enough for an implant. The sinus lift can also be used in this case.
Before the sinus lift, the dentist will take a detailed medical history of the patient. An x-ray of the teeth is also taken. Local anesthesia is sufficient for the treatment itself.
The patient can therefore eat and drink as usualbefore the procedure. The doctor then lifts the gums at the site where the bone loss is to be repaired .
This is where the doctor fills in the bone replacement material. Some of the patient's own blood is also added . A membrane is placed over the wound . The doctor then sutures the gum.
Healing takes some time. Depending on the patient, it takes between three and nine months. Only then does the doctor insert the implant.
If you don't want to wait that long, you should opt for bone augmentation during implantation. Drilling produces tiny bone chips, which the doctor collects and uses to strengthen the bone.
A sinus lift is a surgical technique to create space in the upper jaw for a dental implant @ Pepermpron /AdobeStock
The sinus lift is not performed by a normal dentist, but by an oral surgeon or implantologist. The costs for the treatment are correspondingly high and are usually not covered by health insurance.
However, some supplementary dental insurances cover a large part of the costs. Depending on the complexity and difficulty of the operation, an iliac crest transplant can cost up to 6,000 euros. The costs for a sinus lift are significantly lower at an average of 600 euros.
For some patients, jaw bone augmentation is not possible.
This applies, for example, to people with:
Jaw bone augmentation is also not recommended for patients with diabetes or various respiratory diseases.
In this case, implants that do not require bone augmentation should be chosen. The patient can also choose a removable denture as an alternative.
It takes about ten days for the gums to heal completely after the procedure. Healing can be accelerated if sufficient cooling is applied.
Driving is not recommendedimmediately after the procedure. It is also important to avoid alcohol and cigarettes if possible.
Comprehensive oral hygiene is important . However, you should avoid the area to be treated. In the first few days after the operation, physical exertion should be avoided, as should visits to the sauna and solarium.
Jaw bone augmentation is now a standard operation that is used very frequently.
Of course,post-operative bleeding cannot be ruled out. To stop this, the patient should bite down on a clean cloth. However, if the bleeding gets worse, you can contact the dental on-call service.
The first ten days after augmentation are considered to be particularly risky. During this time, edema may form in the cheek area.
The occurrence of a hematoma at the treated site is also not uncommon. Some patients also report numbness in the lip. This can happen if a nerve is damaged during the procedure.
If the treated area becomes inflamed and spreads to the eye, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible.
Although the above-mentioned risks of bone augmentation are possible, they are relatively rare. Bone augmentation is usually a low-risk standard procedure.
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