Modified shell technique for vertical ridge augmentation - Case report

Purpose: The placement of an implant is hindered by the absence of an adequate volume of bone. Vertical ridge augmentation is one of the most difficult and unpredictable procedures. The purpose of this report is to present a clinical case of vertical ridge reconstruction around a single tooth with a slight variation in the described ‘modified shell technique’.Case report: the patient had presented with 8.5mm vertical ridge deficiency in the region of central incisor #21. An autogenous graft was harvested from the symphysis. The cortical plate was thinned into the shell and divided into two parts to be placed on both buccal and lingual aspects. They were secured at the desired location using titanium screw as the traction screw since there was a lack of availability of the native bone. Remarkable vertical augmentation of the alveolar bone with minimal bone resorption was noticed on re-entry at 6months.Conclusions: This technique shows an alternate method of vertical augmentation over a small edentulous span presenting minimal amount of bone remaining to secure the grafting material.