New Liquid Bone Graft Scaffold May Make Dental Implant Procedures Easier, More Effective

One of the potential challenges to getting dental implants is when periodontal disease that led to the loss of your tooth also led to the loss of significant bone mass around the dental implant site. This requires a bone graft to give you the necessary bone to support your dental implant.

Now researchers have discovered a new technique that may make the procedure even easier and more effective.

Liquid-Gel-Liquid May Promote Bone Growth

The new bone graft scaffolding material developed at Rice University is novel because it begins as a liquid. This liquid can be placed in the area where your graft is required. Because it’s a liquid, it will evenly fill the space where you are missing bone, even if it’s an irregular space. Then the material immediately transforms into a gel that can hold itself in place and provide a sturdy framework for new bone material to grow. Once the new bones have reached sufficient mass to support themselves, the scaffolding material can be turned back into a liquid and removed.

By providing support for newly growing tissues, the new material may speed up the growth of bone in affected areas. As a gel, it may be an alternative to the current design of manufactured scaffolds. As a liquid, it is better at filling irregular spaces than a manufactured scaffold, and because it can be removed, it makes it easier for natural tissue to completely fill the space, unlike manufactured scaffolds that have to be absorbed by the body.

Current tests have proven that it can make the liquid to gel transition at normal body temperatures, and that it supports stem cells and growth factors. It has yet to be tested to determine how well it promotes bone growth in the body.

Advanced Dental Implant Techniques

Although this new technology is not yet available, at My Hills Dentist, we are prepared to handle advanced dental implant procedures. Our dentists have received specialised training in dental implants and can recommend the best treatment for a complicated case.

To learn more about how we can help you, please contact My Hills Dentist in the Baulkham Hills area of Sydney today for a consultation.