Bone Regeneration

Guided Bone & Tissue Regeneration 

Gum disease has traditionally been treated by eliminating the gum pockets by trimming away the infected gum tissue and by re-contouring the uneven bone tissue. Although this is still an effective way of treating gum disease, new and more sophisticated procedures are used routinely today. One of these advancements is guided bone regeneration, also referred to as guided tissue regeneration. This procedure is used to stabilize endangered teeth or to prepare the jaw for dental implants.

As periodontal disease progresses, pockets of degenerated bone develop in the jaw. These pockets can promote the growth of bacteria and the spread of infection. To address these pockets, Dr. Rothstein may recommend tissue regeneration. During this surgical procedure, the pockets are cleaned thoroughly, and a membrane is installed between the soft tissue and the pocket in the bone. Some of these membranes are bio-absorbable and some require removal. The membrane covers the pocket so that fast-growing soft tissue is blocked, and slower-growing bone can begin to grow, or “regenerate” itself.

The effectiveness of the procedure generally depends on the patient’s willingness to follow a strict postoperative diet and careful oral care. Dr. Rothstein will help you determine if bone regeneration surgery is right for you.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)

Bone morphogenetic protein is an isolated protein that induces specific cells in our body to form new cartilage and bone. During surgery, the BMP is soaked into and binds with a collagen sponge. The sponge is then designed to resorb, or disappear, over time. As the sponge dissolves, the bone morphogenetic protein stimulates the cells to produce new bone. The BMP also goes away once it has completed its task of jump-starting the normal bone healing process.

Since there is no need to harvest bone from the patient's hip for BMP, recipients were spared donor site pain. Complications from the graft harvest site are also eliminated with the use of bone morphogenetic protein.