Bone grafting procedures can be performed for various reasons, but there are a few different types of procedures that medical professionals must choose from based on the issues a patient is experiencing. Let’s take a look at three types of bone grafts a surgeon might use to treat different ailments.

Autogenous Bone Graft

Autogenous bone graft procedures, often shortened to “autograft,” involve taking bone from another part of your body for your surgery. Depending on where your bone graft needs to be done, your surgeon may take bone from your jaw, chin, lower leg, skull, or hip. It might sound a little scary, but the truth is that working with live bone for graft delivery is actually beneficial. Because the bone tissue is living and it’s from your own body, it will already have the necessary components needed to encourage bone growth. The biggest setback for this type of bone graft delivery system is that it requires more than one procedure. The first procedure will involve taking bone tissue from another part of your body and the second will be the bone graft itself.

Allogenic Bone Grafts

Allogenic bone grafts are procedures completed with non-living bone tissue. This tissue is typically taken from a cadaver or an organ donor. Before this bone tissue is used for a grafting procedure, it will need to be treated via freeze-drying to remove any excess water. And since this tissue isn’t living, it will simply serve as an anchor for new bone tissue to grow around. This type of bone grafting procedure is typically used to fill voids or gaps in bone tissue.

Xenogenic Bone Grafts

This type of bone graft involves non-living bone tissue taken not from a human, but from an animal. This tissue most commonly comes from a cow and must be processed in extremely high temperatures to ensure there’s no chance of contamination or rejection once the bone grafting procedure has been completed.

When you need a bone graft procedure performed, these are the most common options that are available. If you have questions about which is best for your issue, make sure you consult with your doctor and surgeon.