Using an iliac crest bone transplant as an aid in jaw bone reconstruction is no longer a necessary procedure in dentistry, as there are excellent bone replacements available today.
Long periods of toothlessness and/or periodontitis can cause the jaw bone to recede. Often there is not enough room to set an implant.
It was once a common practice to take piece of bone from the pelvis in order to replace bone in the jaw. You simply took a piece of bone and attached it to the jaw using screws – with varying degrees of success.
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Why larger pieces of bone were always absorbed is explained here!
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Although these kinds of operations are still performed, they are largely unnecessary, since there are bone replacement materials which work very well, and taking replacement bone from a patient’s own body entails opening another wound.
You can either use bone from a donor, for which the company Celtis has developed a special procedure, or you can use purified cattle bone .
Either way, if you do not have enough bone in your jaw, there are much better ways of getting a replacement than cutting yourself open!