Over a period of time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth atrophies or is reabsorbed. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. In these situations, most patients are not candidates for placement of dental implants.
Today, we have the ability to grow bone where needed. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and aesthetic appearance.
Bone grafting can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease or injuries. The bone is either obtained from a tissue bank or your own bone is taken from the jaw, hip or tibia (below the knee). Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the posterior upper jaw. In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum and protect the bone graft and encourage bone regeneration. This is called guided bone regeneration or guided tissue regeneration.
Major bone grafts are typically performed to repair defects of the jaws. These defects may arise as a result of traumatic injuries, tumor surgery, or congenital defects. Large defects are repaired using the patient’s own bone. This bone is harvested from a number of different sites depending on the size of the defect. The skull (cranium), hip (iliac crest), and lateral knee (tibia), are common donor sites. These procedures are routinely performed in an operating room and require a hospital stay.
The active ingredient in INFUSE Bone Graft – rhBMP-2 – is a manufactured version of a protein already present in the body that promotes new bone growth.
Certain BMPs have been studied for many years because of their ability to heal bone and eliminate the need for bone graft harvesting from other parts of the body. rhBMP-2 has been studied more than any other BMP and is FDA approved for use in certain spinal, tibial and oral surgeries.
Naturally occurring BMP is found within the bone itself, but only in small amounts. To provide clinically useful and reproducible amounts of isolated, human BMP, it must be manufactured in a special facility.
Scientists isolated the gene for one protein (BMP-2) from bone tissue and used well- established molecular biology techniques to create genetically engineered cells. These cells then produce large quantities of rhBMP-2. The recombinant form of rhBMP-2 is identical to the natural form in both its chemistry and its ability to grown new bone.
During surgery, rhBMP-2 is soaked onto and binds with an absorbable collagen sponge that is designed to resorb, or disappear, over time. As the sponge dissolves, the rhBMP-2 stimulates the cells to produce new bone. The rhBMP-2 also goes away once it has completed its task of initiating the normal bone healing process.
In instances of jaw bone resorption, rhBMP-2 may be placed in the section(s) of the jaw bone that need to be built back up in preparation for dental implants. To learn more about INFUSE Bone Graft, please contact Dr. Shroyer’s office.