Augmentation - Controlled Bone Regeneration

Controlled bone regeneration (or augmentation) includes treatments that aim to surgically produce or reconstruct bone tissue in the areas where dental implantation is planned. These treatments are used wherever the doctor, on the basis of radiological tests, finds insufficient conditions for implant placement and which are indicated as a place for implantation.

Bone loss is a natural process that progresses with age, but in special circumstances it picks up the pace and creates pathological conditions. In the case of the loss of a natural tooth, the process of bone resorption in the direction of the dental alveolus occurs, meaning the place where the tooth was. In addition, when a given piece of bone is not loaded with chewing forces, it continues to resorb and lose its structure. When the resorption process is not very advanced, replacing teeth using implants is possible by using shorter and thinner screws. After crossing a certain limit, even the smallest implants do not guarantee the success of the treatment and then the implantologist must rebuild the missing bone before inserting the implants.

In the described situation, the solution is controlled bone regeneration surgery aimed at increasing the dimensions of the alveolar process. This is accomplished by creating bone tissue, so implantation into such an area is completely safe.

This procedure consists of introducing biological bone material or bone substitute material of synthetic origin into the desired area, and then covering it with a membrane whose parameters enable selective permeability with simultaneous delimitation of the material. Under such conditions, after a few months, the built-in material transforms into natural bone tissue, which may form the basis for the future implant.

Based on the exact radiological assessment, the implantologist assesses whether the augmentation procedure is necessary as a treatment preceding the implantation procedure, or if he can perform at the same time, during one procedure. In the latter case, we usually deal with a small amount of bone atrophy, and augmentation is to improve the existing bone conditions and stabilize the implant. However, when the bone atrophy is so large that it is not possible to insert the implant, then it is necessary to wait several months for the bone to form to support the future implant. Regardless of the technique used, the augmentation procedure itself is painless and carried out in conventional local anesthesia. The implantologist gives detailed instructions to the patient after performing the procedure and explains what kind of complications may occur. The key in the pre-treatment evaluation is the radiological analysis, especially with CBCT, which allows for the very accurate assessment of the bone level in three-dimensions. Thanks to this procedure, augmentation treatments are predictable and safe.