Why are you going to lose the tooth? It may be due to a large extensive decay, a crack or fracture from occlusion, a trauma from an accident, or an advanced periodontal problem.
As soon as your tooth is removed, the bone starts to change in volume, height, and width as it begins the healing process. The thin part of the jaw bone, especially the labial bone of anterior teeth and back teeth, will decrease significantly once the tooth is lost.
A bone graft procedure preserves the shape and strength of your jawbone. The procedure fills in the socket from which the tooth was removed and helps new bone to grow. This helps slow the shrinkage of the jawbone that naturally occurs when teeth are missing. The jawbone shrinks when teeth are lost because the bone that supported the teeth is no longer stimulated by chewing.
Socket preservation techniques help maintain your jaw’s healthy appearance and makes some tooth replacement options possible and attractive.
First, we prepare the bone-grafting material, which may be your own bone or bone from another source. After the tooth is extracted, we gently clean and disinfect the tooth’s socket and then fill it with the grafting material. In some case, we may place a special membrane over the graft to make sure the bone and gum tissues heal properly. Lastly, we may close the socket with a few stitches.
Now, you are ready to go to the next step: getting an implant or a bridge.
For more information, please contact Dr. Kim at 661-253-3030 or visit www.cinemadentalcare.com .