Burbank Implant Dentist Explains Titanium Mesh Bone Grafting for Dental Implants

Titanium mesh is one of many techniques I use in my Burbank dental implant practice to rebuild (graft) lost bone.  Titanium mesh is sometimes referred to as “ti-mesh.”

It looks like a screen as shown in this picture. It acts as a barrier and physical support of the gums over the bone graft.

TI-MESH-Burbank dental implants Amin RamseyI place and bend it to shape between the gum and the bone to act as a tent.  The “tent” holds the shape of the bone while the bone graft material and PRP work to grow new bone. It is held in with bone screws.

With tooth loss, there is bone loss. In some cases, bone loss can be severe. Severe bone loss may cause difficulty for patients wearing a denture or being restored with dental implants.

Vertical bone augmentation grafting  is where I use this technique sometimes.  Horizontal or width problems can be managed often with bone expansion. The main problem arises from the need to expand the gums and achieve the proper bony architecture.

Here is a case example that I did: (before and after..notice the bone depressions are now filled in)

Burbank dental bone graft -Ramsey Amin --Before
Burbank dental bone graft -Ramsey Amin --after

I use other techniques to achieve the same result including onlay block bone grafting with particulate bone graft, barrier techniques with permanent or disolvable membranes, vascularized bone splitting techniques, sinus lifts, nerve repositioning techniques, short implants, and angled implants.  It varies depending on each UNIQUE patient.

Titanium mesh grafting has its downside.  You can almost never wear a denture as a temporary over the healing area because the rubbing pressure may cause the mesh to become exposed.  If it becomes exposed, some or all of the bone graft can be lost. 

The healing time is usually longer than most bone grafts that I do in my Burbank office. The implant teeth are not placed for about 1 year after the bone procedure.

The skill, experience and training of your implant dentist is the most critical factor in titanium mesh bone grafting.
 
In this article the focus is on augmentation procedures using titanium mesh, which acts as a barrier and physical support of the gums over the bone graft.

Ramsey A. Amin, D.D.S.
Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology /Implant Dentistry
Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry
Burbank, California

8 thoughts on “Burbank Implant Dentist Explains Titanium Mesh Bone Grafting for Dental Implants”

  1. Hi Dr. Amin, thanks for all the information on your site.
    I have a horizontal and vertical defect in my upper right maxilla.
    How many mm of vertical and horizontal expansion is possible on average?
    Also have you ever heard of medical insurance covering these kinds of ridge augmentation procedures?

    Reply
    • How many mm of vertical and horizontal expansion is possible on average? Varies on so many factors. Many try and few are successful. Be sure to see a very skilled dentist for this! Each case is unique!

      Also have you ever heard of medical insurance covering these kinds of ridge augmentation procedures? VERY RARE…VERY (sorry)

      Stay Safe!

      Reply
  2. Hello Dr. Amin,

    Thank you for taking the time to respond to our questions.

    I wrote to you more than a week ago but for some reason it didn’t get posted on here.
    I lost my 2 upper front teeth 10 years ago and I’ve been wearing dentures since then. Now I decided to have a dental implant for the 2 teeth missing but my dentist told me I don’t have enough bone for the implants. That’s why he refered me to an oral surgeon for the bone grafting. I was told that I lost a lot of bone vertically and horizontally and it’s not easy to have the bone to grow vertically so the teeth may look longer than it used to be. Anyway I decided to go ahead and have the surgery done. 3 weeks ago I had it done and the oral surgeon said he used a ti mesh because I lost a lot of bone and I almost had no bone in that area. Everything went well but I noticed after the swollen went down that the bone became so thick and it’s pushing my lip to the front. I took another CT scan 2 weeks after the surgery and I saw it myself and how much bone added. I can see the mesh and the bone in the ct scan and I can see that area it’s a lot thicker than my jaw bone. Is that normal? The oral surgeon said the bone will shrink 2 to 3 mm plus the mesh. He said that area will not stay this puffy. It’s been 3 weeks now and It’s still the same. Is there any way to correct the grafting if the bone grew and stayed this thick? I know the more bone the better for the implant but it’s bothering me. I have a copy of the last ct scan I took, I can send you a copy to look at it and let me know what’s the best to do. I live in Texas and I’m willing to come to CA if I have to.

    Thank you,

    Reply
    • Hi Sam! I wish there was more time in a day to answer the 100’s of questions I receive.

      Bulky is good!!! It is much easier to take away than put back. It will shrink by 30 percent over the course of the next six months. You are probably worried for nothing. Ti Mesh grafting is complex.

      What kind of temp are you wearing?

      Reply
  3. Hi Emilia,
    Bone grafting is usually done before the dental implants are done **OR** during the dental implant surgery. A bone implant should is very common especially of you have been missing teeth or had a bridge for a long time.
    Respectfully,
    Ramsey A. Amin, D.D.S.
    Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology /Implant Dentistry
    Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry
    Burbank, California

    Reply
  4. I need an implant and was told that I need to have some bone implanted in the whole left by the previous tooth work. Then went to another doctor and said to wait till my own bone grows. Has Anyone had any type of bone implanted prior the screws?

    Reply

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