If small defects are found following surgical tooth removal in areas where implants are to be placed, a graft using real or synthetic bone material can be used to fill in the defect. Since gum tissue grows faster than bone and will in essence invade the bone graft, causing it to shrink, a thin collagen membrane is used to cover the graft to prevent the gum tissue from growing into the area.

The bone replacement can usually be accomplished at the same time as dental implant placement, so no additional surgeries are necessary. This type of bone graft takes the same time to heal as it takes for the bone to remodel around the implant after it has been placed.