Alveolar Bone Grafting – Why and When?
By Lindsay Winchester, Consultant Orthodontist, and Peter Ward Booth, Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon, Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead. First printed in CLAPA News issue13, 2001 Clefts of the face take many forms, from a mere notch on the lip to a complete cleft of the lip, hard and soft palate. It is often forgotten that the bone which carries the alveolus (gum) may be also divided (see Fig 1). This cleft of the alveolus causes many problems. First and foremost it means there is a hole from the mouth to the nose. There can be other less obvious problems which only become troublesome later in life. The cleft in the bone and gum means that teeth cannot grow properly and the floor of the nose does not develop normally. Missing teeth have a huge adverse effect on facial growth. Just think of an elderly person with no teeth to imagine how “fallen in” the face can appear. It is also important for children to have a nice smile with good straight teeth, both for eating and self confi
