The Gig Harbor Times

Dental implants, which are a type of artificial tooth root made from titanium uses a surgical procedure to insert a titanium screw into the jawbone, where it integrates and forms a base for crowns, bridges or prostheses.  Dental implants have been considered, in some cases, equal to orignal teeth.   A new study, based on a thesis by dental surgeon Christer Fransson at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden analysed X-rays of over 600 inplant patients.

“The more implants a patient had in the jaw, the more common it was to find loss of supporting bone. Just over a quarter – 28 per cent – of patients had lost some degree of supporting bone around their implants”  according to the study.

“This is a new discovery that shows just how important it is to detect and treat bone loss around implants at an early stage” says Fransson.  Smokers suffered more bone loss than non-smokers.

There are several types of titanium implants, but all are based on the finding that titanium has an unique property to integrate with the bone. The method was pioneered by professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark at the Sahlgrenska Academy during the 1960s. – From a University of Gothenburg press release.

Researchers are testing bone morphogenetic proteins on patients with painful lower back disc problems to regrow spinal disc cartilage. Use of the proteins avoids the use of surgery is appears to be providing meaningful recovery in trial tests.

Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) are a group of growth factors and cytokines known for their ability to induce the formation of bone and cartilage. Originally described in 1983, seven such proteins were discovered. Of these, six (BMP2 through BMP7) belong to the Transforming growth factor beta superfamily of proteins originally . Since then, thirteen more BMPs have been discovered, bringing the total to twenty. [1]

Now, doctors are performing BMP clinical trials on lower (non-cervical) spines to regrow disc tissue.

While regeneration results look promising for lower back pain, use of BMPs in the upper spine has not been recommended:
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2009 JAMA report: Prevalence, Complications, and Hospital Charges Associated With Use of Bone-Morphogenetic Proteins in Spinal Fusion Procedures

Bone morphogenetic protein: is recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-7 (rhBMP-7 or Osteogenic Protein 1), a recombinant version of a naturally occurring growth factor that belongs to a class of proteins known as bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) that are the only known proteins capable of inducing the formation of new bone. [2] (No product endorsement is implied or intended.)

Other Lumbar Restoration Processes

Bone grafting: is a different process that does not employ morphogenetic proteins. Sometimes known as “bone in a bottle”, bone grafting is used to repair fractures and for dental reconstruction. For additional details please see page “Bone Grafting“.

Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR): This is a surgery which replaces the worn out lumbar disc with an artificial disc.

Injectable Gel: FDA approval was given in 2006 to conduct a pilot human clinical trial to investigate the safety and effectiveness of an injectable gel. The gel is injected into the disc area to replace worn or leaking disc fluids. [3] [4]