• Missing teeth impact your health!
• Bone grafting is where the jawbone is built up to accommodate a dental implant or other restorative device (bridge or partial).
• Socket Preservation is performed at the time of tooth extraction and is the best way to preserve bone. This procedure is also much less expensive since treatment is done in one visit.
• Sinus augmentation/ Sinus lift occurs when an upper back tooth is lost and the bone becomes thin. Bone material can be added to lift the floor of the sinus and/or widen the ridge.
• Ridge augmentation is a procedure to increase the height/width of existing bone in order to make it as ideal as possible. Oftentimes this is done in order to be able to place a dental implant.

Bone grafting materials:

• The ideal bone grafting material is your own bone.  In most cases we will harvest small amounts of bone at or near the extraction site.  This bone is then mixed with the patients PRF (Platelet Rich Fibrinogen) obtained from a blood draw.  This is then placed back in the extraction site.  Using the healing properties from your own body is the best way to avoid foreign matter and get the best results!
• Fully resorbable material that your body will use as a scaffold to build it's own bone. This material is either bone harvested from your body or harvested from a cadaver (human) or cadaver (animal). Animal can be cow, pig, or horse tissue. animal bone will resorb slower than human tissue.
• Synthetic graft material (minerals: calcium and phosphate) provides a similar scaffold for the body to use. The risk of biologically induced reactions is eliminated. These materials can be fully-resorbable or slowly resorbable depending on the final treatment being considered. This is the easiest and least invasive option. 

Membranes:

• A membrane is often used to secure the bone material that has been placed. Membranes can be resorbable or non-resorbable. 
• Membranes can be made from collagen, plasma, and pericardium (heart) tissue or Gore Tex type (PTFE). Dr. Butler will determine which type of membrane will best serve your needs.
• We would be happy to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have about any treatment that we provide. We look forward to helping you achieve the best oral health possible!