The "Crescent" Graft: A New Design for Bone Reconstruction in Implant Dentistry

Immediate implantation after extraction is advantageous when clinical circumstances allow it. However, it is often problematic. The most common problem in such cases is confronting bone loss after tooth extraction because of long-standing periodontitis. Although there are many techniques designed to manage these complications, autogenous grafts are considered to be the gold standard in grafting procedures because of their osteoinductive properties. There are many sites from which to harvest bone for grafting procedures, each possessing advantages and disadvantages. We present a new site for bone harvesting and a new graft design for osseous reconstruction in implant dentistry. (C) 2009 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 67:1735-1738, 2009