Upper Jaw
In the front of the mouth in the upper jaw, the ridge provides support for the lip and it is the area where teeth are most visible when somebody smiles. After the teeth are lost the ridge becomes narrower and there is often insufficient bone for implants.

Sometimes however it be comes necessary to widen the ridge using bone expansion with the implants being placed at the same time. On other occasions it is necessary to use a bone graft in this area to make implants possible to achieve a good aesthetic result. Depending on how much bone is needed bone grafts can be taken from the hip or some other part of the mouth and fixed into place. The graft is allowed to heal for 2-4 months prior to placement of implants.

Bone grafts from the hip
If the amount of bone required is much greater, this would be obtained from the hip. This is only necessary if there are many missing teeth and the bone has been severely destroyed. If this is required, then it is carried out in hospital under a general anaesthetic. This procedure requires an overnight stay in hospital. During the operation, an orthopedic surgeon, one of our team, obtains the bone from the hip (iliac crest) and it is placed into the deficient area where it is needed and covered by gum. The denture or temporary bridge would be modified and a soft diet would be advisable for a period of time. If you wear dentures you would be advised to leave them out at night when you are sleeping.

Bone grafts take in the region of 2-4 months to heal. Following the healing period implants can then be placed into the grafted site in the normal way.