Bone substituted bone grafting for alveolar defects!

Bony defects in the jaws due to various reasons can now be treated without the need of borrowing bone from another site in the body, by using synthetic bone substitutes! This is useful since a second surgical site is not created in the body which completely obviates the donor site morbidity and the overall recovery time of the patient is shortened.

The most commonly available bone substitute is hydroxy-apatite which is a synthetically derived molecule similar to that found in natural human bones. It provides a scaffold for bone formation hence when mixed with blood, or marrow bone of the patient, bone formation is accelerated in the defect.

Hydroxyapatite when combined with platelet rich plasma(PRP) derived from the patients blood makes the environment for bone regeneration more favorable as growth factors are released from the PRP.

1. Cleft alveolus | 2. Bone substitute mixed with PRP into the defect | 3.After surgery tension free closure of the defect

At Richardsons dental and Craniofacial Hospital, we are routinely using bone substitutes in combination with Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF).This is a significant advantage for the patient and we are able to produce consistent good results.

Here is a case of a 19 year old girl with a cleft alveolus in her jaw bone that was successfully restored by a similar technique by the surgical team headed by Dr Sunil Richardson.