Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is a surgical procedure used to stimulate new bone growth in the gums where the bone has shrunk. Nowadays, this procedure is popularly used for patients with missing teeth who want to get dental implants. The guided bone regeneration procedure is commonly used with the bone grafting procedure to provide stable placement of dental implants. It restores the gum health and jawbone density of patients. It can be performed by a dental expert in the following cases:
It is used to prepare the gums for dental implant placement if jawbone density is not sufficient to support successful implant placement.
After the tooth extraction, the bone starts shrinking immediately if there is no tooth to support it. Thus, if the patient decides to get tooth replacement in the future after healing, the guided bone regeneration procedure may be required to use to prevent the jawbone from shrinking.
After tooth loss, your jaw shape may deteriorate due to bone loss in the missing tooth area and cause adverse changes to your facial shape. In this case, guided bone regeneration can prevent the deterioration of your jawbone structure.
Guided bone regeneration may also help restore bone defects that are genetic or caused due to an accidental injury.
How does the procedure work?
Before the guided bone regeneration procedure, a comprehensive dental examination by a dental specialist is crucial. During the examination, the doctor may do the following:
Assess the extent of bone loss
Assess the regeneration requirement and determining membrane material needs
Assess biocompatibility, tissue integration, and create a personalized treatment plan for a successful procedure (with an appropriate absorbable or nonabsorbable membrane material) for bone regeneration
Pre-surgery preparations (if needed)
As each patient’s guided bone procedure requirements are usually different, the doctor will use the appropriate techniques as per the patient’s specific needs to surgically attaching the absorbable or nonabsorbable membrane material in the targeted area. The installed material takes a few months to integrate with the existing bone tissue and stimulates new bone growth.
If you are considering getting dental implants but have a missing tooth for a long time, get in touch with our dental specialists for a comprehensive dental examination to determine if you would be an ideal candidate for a guided bone procedure.
