As a periodontist, Dr. Hoffmeyer is very concerned about preserving and creating bone and soft tissue to adequately retain your beautiful smile.
Extracting a hopeless tooth leaves a damaged empty hole (socket). The bony ridge around the socket tends to erode away (resorb) and the gum shrinks. Eventually the bony (alveolar) ridge can narrow to a knife edge and can cause severe problems if you want implants, bridges or dentures.
You can develop sunken cheeks, excessive wrinkling around your lips and your chin and nose appear to become pointed and closer together. Your bite collapses.
If immediate implants are not an option, these deformities can be prevented and repaired by a procedure called socket or ridge preservation.
Socket preservation (bone grafting), can stop ridge erosion before it begins. It is done by filling the extraction site with a bone grafting material and covering with a biocompatible barrier and/or treating with tissue stimulating proteins to encourage your body’s natural ability to repair itself by regenerating lost bone and gum tissue. This bone graft protects the blood clot of the extraction site, promotes the growth of new bone and is gradually resorbed and replaced as your new bone grows in. The bone usually will develop for about 4-12 months before your implant placement or restorative treatment can be completed. Often temporary restorative teeth can be provided at the time of tooth extraction and function during the healing period.
The gums stays where it should
When the underlying bone has not shrunk, the gums may be held in the desired position, and therefore will not retract and cause gaps between teeth and between prosthetics and the gum.
Without this technique (Source: Osteohealth Co.)
With this technique (Source: Osteohealth Co.)
Advantages:
- The procedure takes a few minutes
- The bone on the neighboring tooth is preserved
- The bone (ridge) does not collapse
- The esthetics is improved with a more natural smile appearance
- The regenerated bone allows placement of an implant to replace the missing tooth later on.
- The cosmetic outcome of future treatments such as dental implants, fixed bridges, removable dentures, or gum-line reshaping will most likely be more successful.
How is it done? (Source: Osteohealth Co.)
More information about bonegrafting and loss of jaw bone in general can be found here.
Does it hurt?
No, you will to be locally anesthetized. Subsequently, there may be some swelling and soreness, which is managed with over-the-counter pain medication.