Very professional and friendly office staff. Very professional and friendly office staff. My examination was very thorough and I was encouraged to ask any questions and reminded to call if I should think of any. I would recommend this practice to others based on my experience today
Ridge preservation is a procedure typically done to rebuild lost bone after tooth extraction. When teeth are missing, bone can begin to deteriorate and gum tissue may begin to grow into space where the tooth once was. The open space also allows other teeth to shift, move closer or farther apart and also make it very difficult to add an implant later.
Dr. Toms will use ridge preservation, also called socket preservation, to ensure your jaw and gum line remains supported and to encourage bone growth in the tooth socket. To do this procedure, Dr. Toms will place the collagen membrane and bone grafting materials into the socket of the extracted tooth. The materials will then be held in place with sutures to protect it from damage by saliva or the tongue.
These grafting materials encourage bone growth in the space where the tooth was while also preventing deterioration of the bone around it. Dr. Toms will recommend this for almost every tooth extraction in order to keep your jaw strong and also to prepare it for a dental implant. Without a socket or ridge preservation, it can be difficult to add an implant later. The reason is that the jawbone will deteriorate and the teeth beside the socket will begin to sink or move into the “vacant” space. The socket preservation will keep both of these from happening. It will also ensure that there is plenty of bone to support the titanium implant post.
Healing generally takes between three to five months for this procedure. After that time, Dr. Toms will evaluate the progress before beginning the dental implant process. Sufficient healing is required to ensure the bone is strong enough to support the pressure resulting from chewing and biting with an implant. This is an important procedure if you plan to get an implant. Dr. Toms can review your specific case and give you recommendations to ensure your jawbone stays healthy and secure with proper teeth alignment.
If you need a tooth extraction or have recently lost a tooth, contact Dr. Toms immediately at (513) 922-7300 to set up an appointment.