Ridge Preservation After Tooth Extraction
Teeth that are severely damaged or that exhibit extensive internal decay may sometimes need to be extracted to prevent them from threatening the rest of your oral health. However, even if removing them benefits your oral health, the loss of extracted teeth can have negative long-term effects. Therefore, your oral surgeon may strongly recommend replacing extracted teeth as soon as possible.
To make tooth replacement more successful, especially with a dental implant, your specialist might also suggest ridge preservation. The procedure involves using advanced biocompatible material to keep the site of the extraction from resorbing and losing bone density.
How Ridge Preservation Makes Implants Easier
After a tooth is lost or extracted, the area of your jawbone that supported the root can immediately begin to resorb as your body reallocates nutrients elsewhere. If enough time passes before extraction and replacement, then you may lose jawbone strength, making it more difficult to place an implant in the area.
Performing ridge preservation after tooth extraction helps preserve the integrity of your jawbone so that you can more effectively restore your smile with a dental implant and crown. Similar to other jawbone grafts, ridge preservation may utilize donor bone from another area of the patient’s mouth, or a biocompatible synthetic material to stimulate bone growth and retention.