BMP-2, or Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2, is a protein that is already present in the human body that promotes the growth of new bone.  BMP-2 has been studied for decades because of the remarkable ability to heal bone, almost completely eliminating the need for bone graft harvesting from other parts of the body. 

Before a dental implant can be placed, the doctor will need to determine if there is enough bone present to support the implant.  In many instances in which a tooth has been missing for a year or more, bone loss can be significant and may require bone-grafting procedures in order to build up the bone.  Traditional bone grafts use bovine mineral, human cadaveric bone, or autogenous bone.  Autogenous bone grafts use a patient’s own bone harvested from another location on the body, an additional surgical procedure many patients wish to avoid.

Recently the FDA approved the use of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (BMP-2) in bone grafting procedures.  BMP-2 is a genetically made protein that has the ability to grow bone from the patient’s own cells for bone grafting.  BMP-2 is naturally found in the human body in small quantities.  However, in order to provide clinically useful amounts, BMP-2 is manufactured in a special facility.  During bone grafting procedures, BMP-2 is used to naturally stimulate the production of new bone. 

BMP-2 material can be used to prevent bone loss in the jaw after an extraction, to regenerate bone for dental implants, or for sinus and ridge augmentation.  Clinical results have shown it to be superior to standard methods and is a safe, reliable bone grafting material.