Many patients who desire to have their teeth replaced with dental implants may first have to undergo select preparatory treatments. One of these is bone grafting, a treatment completed when too much bone in the jaw has been lost to safely support dental implants. This can prolong the treatment process and possibly extend treatment by months, especially if additional surgery is needed to extract the bone from another portion of the body. To help accelerate recovery after bone grafting surgery, our doctors choose to use a healing technique with bone morphogenetic protein.
What is bone morphogenetic protein?
Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) is a protein naturally found in the body that can be produced by a laboratory, with the same effects. While only a small amount of BMP is produced naturally, lab-derived proteins can be produced at significantly higher quantities and be used to aid in the body’s own healing process after surgery.
How does bone morphogenetic protein work?
During dental implant surgery, your doctor will take the BMP powder and soak it in a collagen sponge. While the sponge will dissolve over the next several months, the BMP with jumpstart a natural healing process and regeneration of bone at the surgical site. Successful healing and restoration of dense, healthy bone are completed in about six months.
What are the benefits of bone morphogenetic protein?
A BMP procedure is significantly less invasive than traditional bone grafting that may require a second treatment site at the chin or hip to harvest a graft. It’s also safer than using donor bone, which your body may reject. BMP also facilitates the natural regeneration of bone tissues and cartilage, so it creates an optimal healing environment by helping natural bone cells grow.
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Interested in learning more about bone morphogenetic protein and its benefits? Contact your local dentist today.