Home  I  Procedures  I  After Care  I  Common Questions  I  Glossary

  Procedures
Cosmetic Dentistry
Gum Therapy
Implants
Ortho
Hygiene
Extractions
Root Canals
Dentures
Crowns and Bridges
 
Westgate Dental Arts



Ridge Preservation
Bone grafting techniques can sometimes be necessary to preserve the ridge of jawbone after a tooth has been extracted.

The procedure

In many cases, a ridge preservation procedure takes place when a tooth is extracted. During the procedure, we will make sure that the area is completely numb to keep you comfortable. You shouldn’t feel any pain at all. If you do, we’ll stop and give you more anesthetic.

Jawbone shrinks Grafting technique

First we prepare the bone grafting material, which may be your own bone or bone from another source. After the tooth is extracted, we gently clean and disinfect the tooth’s socket and then fill it with the grafting material.

In some cases, we may place a special membrane over the graft to make sure the bone and gum tissues heal properly. Last, we may close the socket with a few stitches.

The benefits of ridge preservation

A bone grafting procedure preserves the shape and strength of your jawbone. The procedure fills in the socket from which the tooth was removed and helps new bone to grow.

This helps slow the shrinkage of the jawbone that naturally occurs when teeth are missing. The jawbone shrinks when teeth are lost because the bone that supported the teeth is no longer stimulated by chewing.

Ridge preservation techniques help maintain your jaw’s healthy appearance and makes some tooth replacement options possible and attractive.

Text and images featured above are used with permission of CASEY Education Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2005.