Block Bone Graft for Implant Placement

—Improvement of Esthetic and Function Using an Interdisciplinary Approach—

Abstract

In the last few decades, implants have become commonly used to replace single and multiple teeth. Tooth loss and periodontal disease often leave inadequate alveolar bone volume for simple implant placement. Tooth loss in patients with periodontitis complicaing occlusal trauma affect the available bone volume in the edentulous area, so such patients often have poor vertical height and/or insufficient buccopalatal width. The ideal solution is to reconstruct lost bone volume using bone grafts. Block bone grafting from a mandibular donor site offers a successful treatment option to augment vertical height and the width of the deficient ridge.
Here we describe a 57-year-old woman plagued with both esthetic problems in maxillary anterior teeth and chewing problems due to the loss of all mandibular molars. We controlled periodontal inflammation by periodontal surgery and stabilized occlusion by block bone grafting, implant prosthodontics, and orthodontic treatment. Using this interdisciplinary approach, we were able to substantially improve the patient's esthetics and occlusion.