Bone grafts have been used in dentistry for decades. They are used for a variety of reasons and have a great rate of success in treating different symptoms. Bone grafts are used to treat different tissues of the oral cavity. They can treat symptoms of periodontal disease and issues with the temporomandibular joint which is most commonly referred to as the TMJ. This is the joint which secures the lower jaw to the skull.
Bone Graft Details
A bone graft is living tissue harvested from a different location on the body. That tissue is then placed on an area that is in need of treatment. Typically, the harvest location is either the hip or the pelvic bone. The bone graft material has to be disease free in order to ensure that once the graft is secured in place it will not cause infection or disease. Grafts are typically used to treat problems with the TMJ and to address bone resorption in the upper and lower jaws. When the patient lacks healthy bone graft tissue, a donor can be used. In those cases where a suitable donor cannot be found tissue from a cadaver can be utilized.
Graft Types
There are two different types of grafts most utilized for dental procedures are known as an allograft and an autograft. Which one is best suited for the patient will have to be determined during an evaluation.
The autograft is harvested tissue from the patient's body. Typically, the grafted tissue comes from either the hip or the pelvic bone.
The other most used kind of bone graft is known as an allograft. This harvested tissue does not come from the patient but from a different source. It can come from another donor or it can come from what is known as a tissue bank. These are locations which keep cadaver bone grafting tissue safe until it needs to be used.
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Bone grafts have been used in dentistry for decades. They are used for a variety of reasons and have a great rate of success in treating different symptoms. Bone grafts are used to treat different tissues of the oral cavity. They can treat symptoms of periodontal disease and issues with the temporomandibular joint which is most commonly referred to as the TMJ. This is the joint which secures the lower jaw to the skull.