The prosthodontist is a dental specialist who can replace lost bone through a bone graft procedure. In this procedure, bone is taken from another part of the body and implanted at the site where the bone has been lost. This is often necessary when standard dental implants are being placed and there is bone loss in the jaw. Without the bone graft, the implants may become loose or fail.
If a tooth is lost or removed, a prosthodontist can also preserve the area by performing a simple bone graft. This involves packing sterile, demineralized human bone granules into the socket after the tooth has been removed. The granules are then covered with a collagen membrane and held in place with stitches. The jaw will then combine with the bone granules to fill the empty cavity.
Marlin, a prosthodontist in Washington D. C., has been named “Top Dentist” by his peers for more than 20 consecutive years in Washingtonian magazine's annual “Best Dentist” survey. He recently recommended 6 bone implants and grafts for a patient who had experienced some bone loss over the past 4 years.
