Ridge Augmentation

Ridge augmentation is a type of bone graft that is performed when the jaw is not wide enough to support implants.  When one or more teeth is lost, the bone and gum tissue surrounding it slowly reabsorbs into the body, causing the jawbone around the missing teeth to shrink. The jawbone height can reduce by at least one millimeter around the site of the tooth extraction. This makes implants difficult and the replacement teeth appear longer than normal.  A ridge augmentation and preservation procedure performed at the time of extraction prevents bone loss. If this procedure is not performed then sinus augmentation may have to be performed later on to develop the required bone mass and density for implants.

The gum is lifted away from the ridge and the jaw bone is separated along the ridge. Bone graft material is placed into the newly created space to build it up.  The incision is closed and allowed to heal. The jaw bone usually will be allowed to develop for about four to twelve months before implants can be placed. For some patients, the implant can actually be placed at the same time the ridge is modified. Synthetic biocompatible graft materials are used to keep the hard and soft tissues from shrinking over time.