Purpose

AAOMS states that the goal of grafting is to provide good quantity and quality of bone where the implant will go.¹ The AAP lists periodontal disease, wearing dentures, developmental defects and injury as causes of too little bone for implants.²

Graft materials

AAOMS defines a bone graft as bone taken from the patient, from a human or animal donor, or made from synthetic materials.¹

Type	Source	Notes from AAOMS
Autograft	The patient's own bone	Needs a second site to collect the bone¹
Allograft	Human donor tissue	Screened and treated to reduce disease transfer¹
Xenograft	Animal-derived tissue	Screened and treated for safety¹
Synthetic	Manufactured material	Tissue growth may be less predictable¹

AAOMS names the jaw, hip, lower leg, ribs and skull as sources of a patient's own bone.¹

Ridge augmentation

Ridge augmentation (ridge modification) rebuilds a jaw ridge that has too little bone for implants.² The AAP describes lifting the gum, filling the defect with bone or bone substitute and closing the site.² The bone usually develops for 4 to 12 months before implants are placed.² In some cases the implant is placed at the same time as the graft.²

What the research shows

A meta-analysis of 40 clinical studies assessed grafting to widen the ridge.³

Approach	Result
Staged (graft first, implant later)	Mean width gain 3.90 mm
Simultaneous (graft with the implant)	Mean defect height reduction 4.28 mm
Implants in grafted bone	Survival and success above 95 percent

Combining graft material with a barrier membrane gave better results in the simultaneous approach.³ Sites where the graft stayed covered by gum gained more bone than sites where it was exposed.³

Related procedures

Socket preservation. Grafting at the time a tooth is removed.⁴
Sinus lift. Grafting under the sinus floor in the upper back jaw.⁵
Short implants. An option in some cases with limited bone height.⁶

General information about dental implants. Treatment decisions are made with a licensed dentist.

Sources

AAOMS (MyOMS.org): Bone Grafting. myoms.org
American Academy of Periodontology: Ridge Modification. perio.org
Sanz-Sanchez I et al. Effectiveness of lateral bone augmentation on the alveolar crest dimension: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent Res 2015. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Avila-Ortiz G et al. Alveolar ridge preservation: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Periodontol 2019. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
American Academy of Periodontology: Sinus Augmentation. perio.org
Jung RE et al. Group 1 ITI Consensus Report: implant length, design and medications. Clin Oral Implants Res 2018. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evidence

Sourced facts

Each line links to the study or the specialty body it comes from.

AAOMS defines a bone graft as bone taken from the patient, a human or animal donor, or manufactured from synthetic materials.

AAOMS (MyOMS.org): Bone Grafting · checked October 2, 2026
AAOMS names the jaw, hip, lower leg, ribs and skull as sources of a patient's own bone for grafting.

AAOMS (MyOMS.org): Bone Grafting · checked October 2, 2026
The AAP states that after ridge modification the bone usually develops for 4 to 12 months before implants are placed, and in some cases the implant is placed at the same time.

American Academy of Periodontology: Ridge Modification · checked October 2, 2026
A meta-analysis of 40 clinical studies found mean horizontal ridge gain of 3.90 mm with staged lateral grafting, and implants in regenerated bone had survival and success rates above 95 percent.

Sanz-Sanchez I et al. Effectiveness of lateral bone augmentation on the alveolar crest dimension: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent Res 2015 · checked October 2, 2026
In that analysis, combining bone graft material with a barrier membrane gave better outcomes for grafting done at the same time as implant placement.

Sanz-Sanchez I et al. Effectiveness of lateral bone augmentation on the alveolar crest dimension: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent Res 2015 · checked October 2, 2026
The AAP lists periodontal disease, wearing dentures, developmental defects and injury as causes of too little bone for implants.

American Academy of Periodontology: Ridge Modification · checked October 2, 2026
Socket grafting at extraction reduced horizontal bone loss by 1.99 mm compared with extraction alone.

Avila-Ortiz G et al. Effect of alveolar ridge preservation after tooth extraction: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Periodontol 2019 · checked October 2, 2026
The AAP describes sinus augmentation as grafting bone under the sinus floor in the upper back jaw.

American Academy of Periodontology: Sinus Augmentation · checked October 2, 2026
The ITI Group 1 consensus found short implants a valid option to avoid augmentation surgery.

Jung RE et al. Group 1 ITI Consensus Report: implant length, design and medications. Clin Oral Implants Res 2018 · checked October 2, 2026

Related topics

Procedures

Socket preservation after extraction

Socket preservation (alveolar ridge preservation) places graft material in the socket when a tooth is removed. Randomized trials show it reduces the bone shrinkage that follows extraction.

Smiling senior woman posing in comfortable robe

Procedures

Sinus lift

A sinus lift adds bone under the floor of the maxillary sinus so implants can be placed in the upper back jaw. It is done through a side window (lateral) or from below through the implant site (transalveolar).

Radiant senior woman with long grey hair smiling

Anatomy

Jawbone changes after tooth loss

The bone that held a tooth shrinks after the tooth is removed, most in width and most in the first 3 to 6 months. The amount of remaining bone shapes implant planning and whether grafting is needed.

Smiling woman with grey hair posing indoors

Procedures

Short implants

Short implants (6 to 8 mm or less) are used where bone height is limited, sometimes in place of a sinus lift or vertical graft. Survival is close to standard implants, with more variability for the shortest designs.