Extractions with Ridge Preservation

The extraction of a tooth is a very common dental procedure. When necessary it is usually an uncomplicated surgery for both the patient and the dentist performing the extraction. In extraction, one or more teeth are removed from their sockets with care.

There are times,however, when one or a series of extractions can cause the soft tissues and bone to collapse. The teeth are in sockets which are surrounded and supported by the bone. The dental surgery done to prevent this area from collapsing is called ridge or socket preservation.

Ridge preservation is one kind of bone grafting which is a category of periodontal surgery. It involves placing a regenerative bone grafting material into one or many empty tooth sockets. This is done to rebuild the bone where extraction has left an empty weakened area. There are a number of different possible materials to use in the reconstruction of the boney ridge.

There are autogenous bone grafts where the tissue used is from the patient’s own body. There are also allografts where the material used is from another human donor. Then there are alloplasts and xenografts. In xenografts, the materials are natural tissue from another species while an alloplast is a bone graft made of a synthetic material.

A ridge preservation surgery can serve many purposes. It is most useful in preserving the natural appearance of the front of the mouth. It is also very instrumental in providing appropriate support for dentures or dental bridge construction. It can be essential in providing sufficient bone height to support dental implants. Periodontists recognize the role of ridge preservation in providing the support for more natural, appealing and functional tooth replacement.