Bone Grafting
Dacula, GA
 If you are getting a tooth extraction performed, we may recommend that you get a ridge preservation. A ridge preservation is a bone grafting technique that helps provide support for your bone. This will prevent the bone that holds your tooth from undergoing a process known as reabsorption. Reabsorption is when a bone begins to melt away, as your body no longer notices a use for it. Preventing reabsorption is important if you plan to get a dental implant to replace the extracted tooth. At Lanier Valley Dentistry, our goal is to provide you with the most highly recommended surgeries to ensure perfect oral health.
A Ridge Preservation Surgery
When you get your tooth extracted, it is highly recommended to get a ridge preservation to ensure the bone isn’t reabsorbed into the body. A piece of bone, either from your body, a cadaver, an animal or synthetically made, is first taken and procured for your treatment. Immediately after getting your tooth extracted, our staff will begin the bone graft to help strengthen the bone underneath and prevent it from melting away. This will help ensure you have the structure in your mouth to get a dental implant placed in immediately after the area where the tooth was extracted has fully recovered. We will always recommend getting a ridge preservation if you have a tooth extraction.
Ridge Augmentation Surgery
If you have a tooth that has fallen out, without the help of an extraction, our team will require that you get a ridge augmentation first. This requires us to cut your gums open, exposing the bone underneath. We will then place a bone graft and suture it shut. We will monitor the area for several months to ensure a speedy recovery. A ridge augmentation can take anywhere from four to 12 months for you to fully recover, which is a much longer period than if you were to get a ridge preservation. The recovery time is increased because you will already have had a significant portion of the bone melt away. We also suggest that if a permanent tooth has fallen out naturally, you schedule an appointment as soon as possible to get a ridge augmentation surgery performed. The longer you wait, the more the bone in your gums will deteriorate. This will require a larger bone graft and a longer recovery time.
How Fast Does Your Bone Deteriorate?
Once your body recognizes that a piece of your bone is no longer being used to keep a tooth in place, the reabsorption process begins fairly quickly. Bones are not hard and stable, but rather malleable, and your body will adjust properly. The American Dental Association states that within the first year of losing a permanent tooth, your body will reabsorb as much as 25 percent of the bone. After about 36 months, you can suffer as much as 60 percent of the bone being melted away. If you wait too many years, the bone can completely reabsorb, making it almost impossible to replace the bone or require extensive surgery to get it fixed. This bone not only helps with providing a stable structure for a dental implant, it keeps your teeth aligned and helps maintain the structure of your face. The more it reabsorbs, the more you will notice the shape of your jaw change.
If you recently had a tooth fall out or you are in need of a tooth extraction, our experienced staff at Lanier Valley Dentistry wants to help you. Contact us at (678) 802-8654 to schedule an appointment today.
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