What’s a bone graft? During traditional bone grafting, a surgeon will remove a small section of bone from one area of the body and place it in the desired area of the body. While this can be done in any area of the same body (autograft) it can also be from the same species (allograft) or from a different species (xenograft) or even made from a synthetic material (alloplast) depending on the patient’s needs.

It’s not uncommon for patients to experience osteonecrosis, or deterioration of the jawbone, often caused by tooth loss without replacement or advanced gum disease.

What is a bone graft procedure? During a bone graft procedure, a dental surgeon will place bone graft material onto the area where the implant is desired with the goal of building up the bone in the area where it has deteriorated too much to hold an implant. Many surgeons are now using special bone grafting material instead of autogenous bone, and a successful procedure allows for the bone to be substantial enough to support dental implant hardware.