Exploring the Right Bone Grafting Materials for Implant Dentistry

Bone loss often occurs with extensive tooth loss and decay. If there’s a delay between loss and the patient seeking treatment, the bone will need to be restored before implants can be successfully placed.

With bone graft materials, it’s possible to create a stable platform for dental implants, ensuring durability and a high long-term success rate. Bone graft materials are also used for routine procedures even if the treatment won’t be followed by an implant. An example is bone graft materials used for socket preservation.

Selecting the right bone grafting materials is essential. There are several options available on the market today. Review the most suitable bone graft materials for dentistry and order high-quality products from Dental Implant Technologies.

Synthetic or Organic Bone Grafting Materials?

One of the key decisions to be made for any procedure is the origin of bone grafting materials. There are various factors to consider, including cost, suitability for the procedure, and even the patient’s ethical concerns.

In most cases, bone grafting materials produced using donated tissue are the best option. Nothing beats nature when it comes to providing the building blocks of healthy bone. However, some patients may request that synthetic materials are used. This is an important discussion to have with the patient, especially if there are specific religious or personal concerns. It’s important to note that materials derived from human tissue are provided by designated donors, while bone grafting materials from animal tissue are produced ethically.

  • Autografts are human tissue materials sourced from the patient’s own body. These are sourced from a donor site during the surgical procedure. The tissue can be prepared chairside using equipment like a Bone Mill (SKU: NX-GM) to grind bone into an osteoconductive state.
  • Xenografts are bone grafting materials derived from animal sources. Bovine (cow) bone is the best source for dental applications. The bone is sterilized and proteins are removed, so only the mineralized inorganic materials are left behind. Xenografts are highly effective at filling bony defects and providing scaffolding for cell proliferation and new tissue generation.
  • Allografts are human tissue materials sourced from donors. Because allografts contain identical components to the patient’s bone, they are considered the standard of reference for ridge augmentation, grafting before dental implant placement, and socket preservation.
  • Synthetic materials have evolved significantly in recent years and are suited to cases where an autograft is unavailable, and when the patient wants to avoid the use of xenografts or allografts for personal reasons. Synthetic materials function similarly to organically-derived bone grafting materials but sometimes come with additional costs. Although disease transfer is effectively eliminated during the processing of other materials, it is impossible with synthetics since they never come into contact with organic material until they are implanted in the patient.

What is Demineralized Bone Matrix?

While we’ve covered the four key types of bone graft materials, there’s one type of allograft that requires special consideration. Demineralized Bone Matrix is an allograft that has all of the inorganic minerals removed. Left behind is the collagen matrix, a highly effective osteoinductive material.

Even though Demineralized Bone Matrix lacks the hard tissues found in other grafting materials, it can still be effective at producing new bone and supporting a grafting site. Demineralized Bone Matrix can be combined with mineralized particles in cases where more space maintenance is required for severe defects.

DBM Putty Syringes are Demineralized Bone Matrix products that are reliable with osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties. These are easy to work with chairside and can cut down on the complexity of a bone grafting procedure.

DBM Crunch is a type of Demineralized Bone Matrix that contains both demineralized collagen matrix as well as mineralized bone particles, providing everything that is needed for large and severe defects.

Many dental professionals have transitioned to Demineralized Bone Matrix for its simplicity and ease of use. The products come prepared in applicator syringes, so there’s no need to process a combination of different bone grafting materials chairside. If you’re seeking efficiency in your practice, with osteoconductive and osteoinductive performance, these products could be ideal for you. They can be used in all clinical scenarios short of the most extensive procedures where a bone block would be indicated.

The Properties Shared by High-Quality Bone Graft Materials

There’s a lot of differentiation between bone graft materials on the market today. The properties usually suit specific procedures and areas of the mouth. Next to overall quality and reliability, the properties of bone graft materials are the most important aspect to consider.

  • Bone graft materials must be osteoconductive to succeed. Osteoconductive materials create a scaffold for new bone. This scaffold supports the adhesion of cells, from which new tissue is formed. The microscopic matrix of osteoconductive material facilitates cell adhesion, but there’s more going on. The channels within the scaffold allow for the proliferation of blood vessels and proteins. These also support new formation. Osteoconductive materials ensure that the grafting site is stable with adequate density. This is one of the most important properties of high-quality bone graft materials.
  • Osteoinduction is another process that occurs during the healing stage of a bone grafting treatment. Induction is the key word here. An osteoinductive material will attract surrounding cells from healthy tissues. These cells convert into pre-osteoblasts, the materials that form new bone. The grafting material should have some element of both osteoconductivity and osteoinductivity for a successful procedure. In some cases, unique materials can be combined chairside to ensure that both properties are present. These materials don’t always come from a laboratory. Osteoconductive materials can be combined with the patient’s autologous blood prepared using the PRF method. PRF, or Platelet Rich Fibrin, is rich in osteoinductive potential.

Dental professionals will find the most reliable osteoinductive and osteoconductive materials at Dental Implant Technologies. Our range of bone graft materials will ensure that bone regeneration is consistent and suited to the expected patient outcomes.