The alveolar ridge of the jaw is the bone that encircles the roots of your teeth. When a tooth is removed, your alveolar ridge bone experiences an empty socket. While this socket will usually heal on its own and fill up with bone and tissue, sometimes this isn’t possible.
In this case, ridge augmentation may be a good decision. It can reconstruct the original height and width of your alveolar ridge so a dental implant can be effectively placed.
Dr. Amin Samadian, a top dentist in San Francisco, and his team may suggest ridge augmentation if you have teeth that have fallen out or that have been surgically removed and are planning to receive dental implants but the bone is not strong enough to hold the implant. You may also benefit from this treatment if you have broken or damaged alveoli, as it can fill empty cavities with a bone graft. In the event you can’t obtain dental implants because of low bone density or lack of bone, ridge augmentation is ideal.
Take the first step to a healthier smile by scheduling an appointment with Dr. Amin Samadian and his highly trained staff at his San Francisco office.
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Contact UsMost ridge augmentation uses Guided bone regeneration: bone graft material placed where the ridge has shrunk, covered with a membrane so new bone, not gum, fills the space. A ridge that has lost width is widened (horizontal augmentation); one that has lost height is built up (vertical augmentation), which is more demanding and slower to heal. Dr. Samadian treats both.
Depending on the defect, the graft may be held in shape with tenting screws, a titanium-reinforced membrane or titanium mesh, bound with your own PRF as sticky bone, and supported with a growth factor such as PDGF or rhBMP-2 in larger defects.
The simplest ridge augmentation is the one you avoid. Grafting the socket when a tooth is removed limits the shrinkage that follows. See Socket preservation.
The gum heals in about two weeks; the bone matures over several months, longer for vertical grafts, before an implant is placed. Sometimes the implant can be placed at the same time as a smaller graft. Your plan gives the expected timeline.
The alveolar ridge of the jaw is the bone that encircles the roots of your teeth. When a tooth is removed, your alveolar ridge bone experiences an empty socket. While this socket will usually heal on its own and fill up with bone and tissue, sometimes this isn’t possible.
Usually several months, depending on the size of the graft. In some cases the implant is placed at the same time as the graft.
Horizontal augmentation restores width and is the more common and predictable procedure. Vertical augmentation restores height and is more demanding, with a longer healing time and a higher complication rate.
Swelling, bruising and discomfort; infection; exposure of the membrane or graft; less bone gained than planned, sometimes needing further grafting; and, in the lower jaw, temporary or occasionally lasting numbness of the lip or chin.
Tell us what you would like to change about your smile and our team will follow up to arrange your visit with Dr. Samadian.
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Part of Dental Studio SF · Dion Health
Treating patients throughout San Francisco. Dr. Samadian specializes in treatments such as smile makeovers, porcelain veneers, digital reconstructions, aesthetic dentistry, and dental implants. Focusing on regeneration and restoring tooth structure, bone loss, and gum recession utilizing the latest LANAP laser technology.
