Ridge Augmentation
Moorestown, NJ
 During a tooth extraction procedure, it is sometimes inevitable for our dentists to chip away at your gums and alveolar ridge. Certain ailments and dental trauma may also eat away at your alveolar ridge. Preparing for dental implants is another reason you need a strong alveolar ridge.
What is the Alveolar Ridge?
The bone that surrounds your tooth roots is known as the alveolar ridge. The empty socket that remains due to tooth loss or a tooth extraction is located in the alveolar ridge, which usually heals on its own by filling in with bone and soft tissue. However, sometimes the bone surrounding this socket breaks after a tooth is removed or lost and is unable to self-heal. This means that the previous width and height of the socket will continue to break down and the alveolar ridge will need to be rebuilt or augmented.
While rebuilding the original width and height of the alveolar ridge is not necessary in a medical sense, it can be required for the placement of dental implants or for aesthetic enhancement. Sufficient jawbone mass is necessary to stabilize dental implants, and a ridge augmentation is designed to rebuild the missing bone tissue for this purpose.
Another purpose of this procedure is to augment the amount of gum tissue in areas of deficiency to prepare for dental implants and tooth replacement. This is often required to make the teeth appear to rise naturally from the gums. In the case of extensive bone or tissue loss, placing dental implants may be impossible without additional procedures.
Dental implants must have a strong foundation to perform their job properly. They rely on both the quality and availability of bone in your jaw and mouth, which is why at Optimum Oral Surgery Group we take delicate care to ensure that each patient is a good candidate for dental implants.
One of the ways we are able to provide a sturdy foundation for dental implants or implant supported dentures is what is known as a ridge augmentation procedure.
What Is a Ridge Augmentation?
Ridge augmentation is a common dental procedure that recreates the natural contour of the gums and jawbone after a tooth extraction or tooth loss. Many times, once a tooth is removed or lost, the jawbone will start to recede and deteriorate. The width and height of the socket that was supported by your tooth will begin to shrink, leaving many patients with an indentation in the gums at the extraction or tooth loss site. Ridge augmentation is a safe and effective procedure performed by our highly skilled oral surgeons at Optimum Oral Surgery Group.
A ridge augmentation procedure involves the alveolar bone. This bone is what holds your teeth in place and like bone in general, it needs to keep its strength up with stimulation. When a tooth has fallen out, the alveolar bone will collapse - meaning loss of bone. This is a problem with most dental implant procedures because it leads to compromised support. This is where a ridge augmentation is done to restore bone that has been lost.
Ridge augmentation is a bone graft procedure that involves placing bone material in the empty socket where the alveolar bone used to be. This will help it regenerate and prevent it from deteriorating any further. A barrier membrane may also be used to help ensure that the bone will grow back properly.
For tooth extraction patients, we use ridge augmentation to preserve the socket of the extracted tooth, shoring up the alveolar ridge and preventing any future bone loss in the site of the extracted tooth. Sometimes teeth need to be extracted before patients receive dentures or dental implants. We normally execute the ridge augmentation right after the tooth extraction procedure to help save patients from the cost and inconvenience of a separate secondary procedure. We prepare the bone grafting material beforehand, then use it to fill up the socket of the extracted tooth. Finally, we will cover the socket with the gum tissues and secure the set up with sutures.
Recovery from a Ridge Augmentation Procedure
After the bone material has been placed, the area is then stitched up and the material is allowed to bond with the original bone for up to, and sometimes over, a year. After this process is fully complete, we will be able to give the approval for implants.
We often perform ridge augmentation as part of a long-winding restoration procedure. As such, getting a ridge augmentation may be one of the many hurdles you need to scale before fully overcoming your dental problems. The recovery process, therefore, is determined by the unique personal needs of each patient. For some patients, their restoration might take more than a year to be completed, while in others, it is only a matter of a few days.
Are There Patients that May Not Need Ridge Augmentation?
Patients that may not need ridge augmentation are individuals who decided to receive their implants immediately after tooth loss. The alveolar bone will quickly collapse without a tooth in the socket. It only takes 12 months for 25 percent bone deterioration to occur. This is why we recommend that patients look into dental implants soon after tooth loss has occurred as it can significantly reduce the waiting time.
It isn’t always a guarantee that you will be able to skip bone grafting after a tooth extraction, however; weakened or compromised bones can become damaged when a tooth is extracted.
Are There Any Dental Implants That Do Not Require a Ridge Augmentation Procedure?
If you are looking for full-mouth restoration, you can talk to us about the All-on-4® Treatment Concept. These are dental implants that only require four implant posts. They are able to be fitted in patients who otherwise would have required a bone graft for the traditional six to eight dental posts that are used in most multiple tooth dental implants. Do note however that severely compromised bone might still need to be restored before fitting any type of dental implants. But more often than not, you will be able to get the smile that you desire much sooner with the All-on-4 Treatment Concept.
Do You Need Teeth Restoration?
At Optimum Oral Surgery Group, we’re meticulous about every step of your restoration plan, from the examination to the preparation, surgery, post-surgery and recovery. We’ll meticulously implement each stage of the plan to avoid risks and complications like allergic reactions to the implant or bone graft materials, abnormal bone formation around the implants, damages to surrounding tissues and nerves, bacterial infection, surgical incision problems, excessive swelling and bleeding in the gums.
Schedule an Appointment for a Ridge Augmentation in Moorestown, NJ
Having a smile that you can count on is important, and at Optimum Oral Surgery Group we are committed to helping you achieve this. We offer a wide range of oral surgery services as well as appropriate sedation options for each procedure, and will work closely with you to achieve the best results possible. Call us today at (856) 437-4432 for a consultation for a ridge augmentation near Moorestown, NJ or to arrange for a seamless, painless, and highly effective dental restoration! |
