Bone grafting, sometimes called “Guided bone regeneration” is a surgical procedure that replaces missing bone, or adds new bone. The most common use of bone grafting is in the use of dental implants to replace a missing tooth.

Dental implants require adequate healthy bone underneath them for support and to have the implant integrate properly into the mouth. People who have been edentulous (without teeth) for a prolonged period may not have enough
bone in the right places.

Bone graft materials can be obtained from the patient, a tissue bank, or cow bone.

In conjunction with bone grafting, collagen membranes are often used to help stabilize the bone graft as well as displace the gum tissue from invading the healing bone graft. Gum tissue grows at a much faster rate than bone, therefore, membranes are used to prevent gum tissue from growing in and displacing the bone graft before it matures