When you have teeth that become severely damaged or loosened by gum disease, then we may need to extract them to prevent major oral health issues. Then, to prevent resorption before we place one or more dental implants, we may take steps to preserve your ridge. In today’s blog, your Santa Rosa, CA, oral surgeons talk about ridge preservation.
The Extraction Process
Sometimes, an issue arises in your teeth that cannot be treated with a filling or crown. In cases of severe damage, decay, or infection, actually taking the tooth out could prevent the spread of infection to other parts of your smile, preserving the rest of your smile. To remove these teeth, we take detailed digital x-rays and digital intraoral camera pictures, which allow us to plan the procedure with precision and accuracy. We next administer a numbing agent so you feel comfortable, and may recommend sedation for patients with anxiety. The procedure usually takes about 30 minutes, and involves gently extracting the tooth with a pair of forceps. But after we take the tooth out, how do we prevent complications in the exposed socket?
Preserving The Ridge Site
In cases where a tooth is removed for injury or oral health reasons, this leaves a gap in your smile that could lead to complications with the health and beauty of your smile. When possible, we want to replace these lost teeth with a lifelike and durable dental implant as soon as possible. However, once a tooth is taken out, the body will begin re-absorbing bone tissue and sending doses of calcium and phosphorus to other parts of the smile. As the bone breaks down, this could lead to complications with implant placement, and even the risk of further tooth loss. Our team will instead take steps to prevent resorption by placing a biocompatible material into the socket. For some, we could use bone tissue from other parts of your smile, or a special synthetic material. This preserves the area until we can move forward with dental implant placement!
Dental Implant Placement
Once the area is preserved and healed, we will plan and guide the placement of the new implant with advanced technology. Once in place, we can attach an abutment and a crown to complete the visible position of your new tooth, so you can smile with confidence once again. If you have any questions about dental extraction, ridge preservation, or even about implant dentistry, then contact our team today to learn more.
Do You Have Any Questions?
We take steps to prepare your smile for implant placement and also preserve your smile in its current state. To learn more about how we prevent resorption, then schedule a consultation by calling Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625. You can once again smile with confidence!