Alveolar Cleft Grafting

• Stabilization of the upper jaw
• Filling in the gap/cleft with bone to allow for eruption of the canine and sometimes the lateral incisor
• Providing support to the nose
• Helping with the closure of any remnant connection between the mouth and nose
• Making it possible to insert a dental implant in the grafted site once the bone has healed

Patients who need the alveolar bone graft are typically referred around the age of six. A comprehensive examination and a 3D scan will be completed during consultation. The 3D scan taken using our CBCT machine is used to assess the size of the defect, and plan the surgical procedure. Sometimes, if the defect is small enough, a combination of synthetic bone graft plus bone obtained from a tissue bank are sufficient for reconstruction. For larger graft volumes, the gold standard is to obtain the majority or all of the graft from the front portion of the hip bone.

This procedure is typically completed in the hospital setting under general anesthesia with a one-night postoperative stay for monitoring.

Most patients are walking around easily within the first few days. Swimming and light activity is usually resumed after 1 month. Usually, full activity and any contact sports resumes at 3 months.