What is B.O.S.T?

The Bone One Session Treatment (B.O.S.T)

The Bone One Session Treatment (B.O.S.T), is an aerobic treatment that eliminates periodontal disease at its source: under the gums and in the bone supporting the teeth.

Performed without invasive surgery, the B.O.S.T treatment is fast, comfortable, and reliable.

A typical B.O.S.T full mouth treatment is performed in 4-5 hours during a one day period. Due to the length of the appointment, a custom heated bed is used for added comfort, in favour of a traditional dental chair.

After a single B.O.S.T treatment, the bone is able to heal and the pockets can fill with healthy tissue.

The basic ideas for BOST began over 20 years ago with Dr. William Hoisington of Seattle, Washington, USA. Years of research and continual improvement led to several publications in professional journals and articles in the popular press.

Some 3000 cases treated with the technique by Dr. Hoisington and dentists he trained in several countries have provided a solid base of evidence of success measured by patient satisfaction, referral of their friends and the end, in most cases of tooth loss and further serious problems and expenses for replacements like implants.

Details of the Treatment

There are four major concepts that separate B.O.S.T from traditional periodontal therapy.

BOST places a great deal of emphasis on easy and effective maintenance. Using the Aerobic Oral Hygiene Kit, a person is able to maintain healthy gums and bone.

1. B.O.S.T is performed in a single session.

Unlike other periodontal treatments, the B.O.S.T treatment was designed to be completed in a single session.

From a medical point of view, treating the entire mouth at once helps prevent re-infection in-between treatments.

Some periodontal treatments may take up to twelve appointments, and several months, to treat the whole mouth.

Extended treatment plans can leave the mouth in a continued state of infection. Furthermore, the immune system is forced to take on two tasks simultaneously: fighting bacteria and healing damaged tissue. B.O.S.T, on the other hand, removes the local obstacles to healing in one session so that the immune system can work with the singular purpose of repairing the gum tissue, bone, and attachment.

Many patients begin the B.O.S.T treatment hoping to improve their aesthetic situation as well as their ability to chew food effectively.

Aesthetic work can include replacing missing teeth, changing the form and colour of the teeth, and stabilizing loose teeth.

Finishing the treatment in a single day gets people to a restorative plan more quickly. In many cases, some aesthetic work can be completed on the same day as B.O.S.T.

2. B.O.S.T aims to minimise damage to the gums, bone, and attachment during the course of the treatment. In doing so it sets up optimal conditions for healing.

Part of the B.O.S.T's success lies in taking full advantage of the body's natural immune responses. By preserving the health of gum tissue and bone cells, the B.O.S.T treatment gives the body the ability to dramatically speed up the healing process.

Part of preserving the healthy tissue is accomplished by performing the B.O.S.T treatment without incisions or sutures. Our technique, called "stretch flap," allows access all the way down to the deep areas of the roots and the surface of the bone.

Diseased tissue is spongier and loses some of its fibrous component. Since there are still elastic fibres inside the tissue, it is possible to stretch the tissue to open access all the way to the surface of the bone with no incisions or sutures.

Most importantly, this work on the bone surface is done without cutting the gingival tissue or cutting off the circulation to the bone. This ensures that there is no "necrosis," (death of superficial bone cells) which leads to immediate additional bone loss as is the case with surgical entry.

Through the "stretch flap" method, B.O.S.T also avoids disinfectants and other methods of killing bacteria under the gums.

Disinfectants like hydrogen peroxide can burn healthy gum tissue or stem cells as they kill bacteria. Other non-surgical approaches, such as dental lasers, have the potential to kill healthy bone cells in addition to removing dead tissue.

By not using these methods, B.O.S.T ensures that all of the healthy tissue possible will be in place to speed up the healing process.

3. B.O.S.T creates a stronger attachment, necessary to heal the gums and bone, and prevent further outbreaks of periodontal disease

Stretching the tissue open – as opposed to making surgical cuts – has some important ramifications for the ability of the attachment to heal itself.

Incisions and sutures create scar tissue at the base of the attachment. Scar tissue does not have any mechanism that allows it to attach well to the root surface.

In addition, it is not very protective of the bone. This makes for an unstable and easily re-infected situation at he bone level. By minimizing damage to the bone and the surrounding tissue, B.O.S.T is able to seal in the bone and refill the pockets with healthy tissue. This seals out the bacteria and eliminates chronic inflammation.

There are also now live cells in place to rebuild the bone and eliminate the pockets. These live cells create a very strong connection to the root.

After healing, B.O.S.T is able to create an attachment that is as strong or even stronger as an attachment that was never affected by periodontal disease.

4. The recovery process after B.O.S.T is quick and easy.

Because B.O.S.T patients have not had sutures or incisions, they are able to heal quickly. To speed up the healing process, B.O.S.T also places a great deal of emphasis on effective maintenance to keep the gums and bone healthy.

A new oral hygiene technique guides the healing and preserves the healed result. Along with help from the immune system in its protective preventive phase there is greatly reduced need for professional cleaning and disinfectant products. After B.O.S.T, the aerobic oral hygiene routine is done twice per day for 8 days and then continues once per day forever.