Bone augmentation for dental implants are sometimes necessary when a patient does not have enough bone available to properly anchor the screw or other implant hardware. Dental bone augmentation includes a variety of procedures, including sinus lifts, bone graft procedures, and manipulation of bone using an osteotome or osteotome mallet. Since an implant cannot be done without a certain amount of bone available, it becomes necessary for a dental surgeon to stimulate the patient to grow more bone in the area, or to remove bone from one area and place it in the area where the implant will be done.

Bone augmentation procedures in implant dentistry are not uncommon, especially in cases of bone atrophy, where tooth loss without replacement has caused the deterioration of bone over time. Bone augmentation surgery can be done to improve the likelihood of being able to place an implant, but it does require implant surgery to be delayed while the bone heals.