Extraction Site Preservation

While there are many dental procedures to preserve our natural teeth, in some cases, the tooth in question just needs to be extracted. When a tooth has been in some way been infected, broken or damaged it must be removed. Visit Dentalville Panorama City in Los Angeles today to setup an appointment for an extraction site preservation procedure!

When a tooth is extracted, the socket is sometimes also damaged by infection or disease. The damaging of the socket can then become a deformity of the jaw. Also, once a tooth is extracted, the bones and gums around the area of the missing tooth shrink quickly after the tooth is extracted. If this shrinkage is not prevented, a person can experience defects in a collapse of the cheeks and lips.

Restorative Dentistry and Jaw Deformities

If the area of a missing tooth remains untreated, jaw deformities may occur. Once the deformity has happened, restorative processes can be seriously hampered. Losing a tooth doesn’t have to spoil your looks or the way your mouth works.

Today’s modern dentistry procedures can restore your teeth in several ways. Some of the ways that dentistry restores your teeth and keeps your mouth healthy include bridges, dentures, and dental implants. But these appliances can be hard to create and put in place if the jaw has begun to deform.

Extraction Site Preservation or Socket Preservation

To prevent the jaw defects that an extraction can create, we may recommend an extraction site preservation procedure. Even if jaw deformities have begun, socket preservation can correct socket and jaw damage. The advantages to having extraction site preservation include an increased chance for successful dental implants and a greatly improved look of your facial appearance.

Immediate Dental Implant Replacement

Some people choose to have a dental implant at the same time as their dental extraction. This process, named Immediate Dental Implant Placement, remains a great way to keep your jaw and mouth in healthy condition. But having the implant placed at the same time as the extraction occurs is not always feasible.

The Extraction Site Preservation Process

To keep your alveolar ridge after an extraction, a specific type of extraction will need to be performed. We can carefully extract the tooth while simultaneously keeping as much of the bone around the tooth as possible.

The second phase of extraction site preservation is preventing bone collapse by providing the socket area with a bone graft. Extraction site preservation involves grafting bone-like material into the socket and covering the area to protect it. A dissolvable plug will be packed into the socket, or a suture may be placed in the area of the bone graft. Eventually, the bone will grow around the socket and provide the area with new alveolar bone. At that point, your mouth will be ready to support a dental implant.

The bone graft will not last for years. If you choose to have extraction site preservation done, you’ll need to have the implant placed in a few months to a year, as socket preservation is not intended to be a permanent solution to losing a tooth.