BONE AUGMENTATION IS A LOOSELY USED TERM TO DESCRIBE BOTH BONE REGENERATION AND BONE RECONSTRUCTION.

The difference mainly lies in the extent of augmentation to correct the bone defect as result of bone loss. When implants are in consideration for replacing missing teeth, the quality and the quantity of existing jawbone structure are crucial for successful implantation and implant integration. Often as a result of periodontal disease, trauma or long term tooth loss, there is not enough bone structure remaining to safely and optimally support the proposed dental implant(s). Today, there are many surgical techniques available to augment jawbones. For example, one can augment the amount of bone in the posterior upper jaw by grafting bone to the ridge or the maxillary sinus.

There a various materials that are used for bone augmentation including synthetic materials. Bone augmentation materials are also call bone grafts come in particulate or block form and are used according to the size of the defect to correct. However human bone is the best and heals best, while synthetic materials are not as successful. When using human bone, we can use your own bone or sterile bone which is obtained from a hard tissue bank.