Autogenous Tooth Transplantation Autotransplantation Means

Autogenous Tooth Transplantation

Autotransplantation means surgically moving a tooth from one spot to another location in the same mouth. It is indicated usually in cases of tooth loss due to dental caries, especially replacement of a first molar with a third molar. Success depends on what the patient needs, "the donor tooth, and the recipient site" (Clokie, et al., 2001, p. 3). The patient must have a suitable recipient site with good bone support and a viable donor tooth that has between one-half to two thirds completed root development. A donor tooth with full root growth makes for less chance of success. A successful transplant will afterwards show good bone fill at the recipient site, continued development of the roots of the donor tooth, and development of the periodontal ligament space.

An advantage to the procedure is that it is the patient's own tooth with a better chance that it will not be rejected. However, the surgeon's skill makes a big difference in whether or not the transplant is successful. In removing the donor tooth, for example, there is the danger of damaging the roots. The dentist must handle it as little as possible and touch only the crown. Some surgeons extract the bad tooth and prepare the recipient site using a previously constructed model of the donor tooth. Once the recipient site is ready and the donor tooth has been extracted, it is important to get the donor tooth into the new site immediately -- although it can be placed back in the original socket easily if adjustments to the recipient site are needed.