At Peninsula Oral and Facial Surgery, we are committed to providing the most advanced treatment based on solid research and clinical experience. One potential way that we can increase the success of dental implants is with the use of bone morphogenic protein to stimulate bone regeneration.
Treatment with bone morphogenic protein is becoming more common for oral surgery, and it’s important to understand all of the benefits as you prepare for your treatment with our experienced team.
Here’s what you need to know about this innovative material as you prepare for your consultation.
Bone morphogenic protein is a type of growth factor that is naturally produced in the human body. Growth factors work to signal cells, triggering the bone regeneration process.
While bone morphogenic protein can be produced naturally, it can also be synthesized in a laboratory with identical properties to that produced in the human body. By introducing bone morphogenic protein as part of bone grafting procedures, it’s possible to enhance healing and regeneration to improve the surgical outcome.
Bone morphogenic protein isn’t used for every case, but it may be recommended if it will improve the outcome of your procedure. Your surgeon will cover all elements of the potential treatment with bone morphogenic protein, including the procedural steps, expected outcome, and additional cost. Your surgeon will also outline any potential downsides that would be present if the treatment were performed without bone morphogenic protein.
Bone grafting may be necessary before you can have dental implants placed. Grafting is a procedure where the jaw bone is build back and regenerated to create a stable foundation for dental implants.
Bone grafting may be recommended to ensure the success of treatment with dental implants. In some cases, you will not be able to have dental implants before a grafting procedure has been performed.
Traditionally, grafting is performed with processed materials derived from natural bone. Your body will use these materials as a scaffold and signal system to naterually grow back the missing bone. Bone morphogenic protein can boost this signal system and has the potential to eliminate the need to harvest bone from a donor site on the body.
Using the traditional method, bone grafting is performed with a grafting material that can be harvested from the patient (autograft) or donated from a human source (allograft) or animal source (xenograft).
The grafting material is packed into area of bone loss. The gum is sutured on top of the surgical site and over several weeks or months, the grafting material will combine with cells in the body to form new bone suitable for implant placement.
This is an effective method but the healing time can be three to six months. If the bone is harvested from the patient, usually around the hip, then it adds additional trauma and complexity to the surgery.
Treatment with bone morphogenic protein is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It’s a relatively recent innovation in healthcare.
The procedure is largely the same as the one described above, but the materials used are different. Bone morphogenic protein is combined with collagen and placed at the defect site. The protein starts a biological process, instructing the body to produce new cells, which then begin to form new bone.
Bone morphogenic protein can be used with synthetic, allograft, and xenograft grafting materials. In fact, it is often available in a combined product that includes the protein as well as mineralized materials that form the structure of new bone. The specific product used will depend on the surgery.
The key advantage of using bone morphogenic protein is that there’s less need to harvest bone during surgery. It can be easily prepared and the results are consistent, so bone regeneration is predictable.
Bone morphogenic protein is effective in many cases and may be recommended by your surgeon to boost your body’s natural regenerative potential. It all depends on your unique needs and the technical details of your procedure. If you suffer from tooth loss, treatment with grafting and dental implants is the most effective way to restore the aesthetic and full function of your mouth. To find out if bone morphogenic protein is right for you, book your consultation at Peninsula Oral and Facial Surgery by calling 650-342-0213.