Tooth Socket Bone Preservation (Ridge Preservation)
If you are referred to our office for a tooth extraction, your dentist is anticipating that you may need a dental implant in the future. For most cases, we recommend a bone graft at the time of extraction in order to preserve the bone height and width. This is done to build a solid foundation in order to prepare the site for a future dental implant.
After your tooth is carefully removed, bone graft particles are placed into the extraction site and may be covered with a resorbable and/or non-resorbable material called a membrane to hold it in place during the healing period. This bone graft material substance is called freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA). FDBA is obtained from a donor and every vial must pass rigorous testing and the strictest guidelines of the American Association of Tissue Banks. This verifies that every graft is free of disease before being used on a patient. After four to six months of healing, your natural bone has partially replaced the grafted bone. Once healing is complete, your bone now has the ideal dimensions in both quality and quantity for dental implant placement.