Dental Implants

• The UMOMSA faculty, in close collaboration with the restorative dentist, help plan and then place dental implants used to replace missing teeth. Bone grafting (synthetic or autogenous) is often required to provide for an adequate bone foundation to allow for implant anchorage. The surgeon can also modify gingival (gum) tissue surrounding implants when necessary to make teeth placed on implants look even more natural
• Various associated procedures to allow for successful implant placement may include:
  • Tooth socket preservation
  • Alveolar ridge (bone surrounding the roots of the teeth) augmentation
  • Maxillary sinus bone grafting
  • Autogenous bone graft sites (your own bone) include the chin, jaw, leg, hip or skull
  • Allogeneic bone (dead bone harvested from a cadaver) can be used for smaller defects
  • Synthetic bone growth proteins (BMP)
• Complex implant cases such as those involving significant trauma or reconstruction due to a tumor/cancer require the co-ordination between the surgeon and the University of Maryland School of Dentistry specialized Maxillofacial Prosthodontists
• Zygomatic implants (cheek bone anchoring implants) are a new technology that can be utilized to anchor teeth in patients with severe bone loss with the possible advantages of avoiding any bone grafting procedures.