Is Socket Preservation Necessary?

Dental socket preservation is a procedure to prevent further bone loss after removing your tooth. This procedure is also called alveolar ridge preservation, which involves the placement of bone materials in the socket of a newly extracted tooth.

The socket preservation procedure helps compensate for the resorption of the facial bone wall. Several techniques can be used to preserve the bone and minimize bone loss after an extraction.  This procedure should be considered when implant placement needs to be delayed for the patient or site-related reasons. It boosts implant success and survival by reducing bone resorption and accelerating bone formation. Also, socket preservation can lessen the need for later bone augmentation. The healing process before implant placement usually takes about six months.

After the removal of the tooth, your body does indeed heal properly. However, there are potential problems that your dental professional may see that lead him or her to perform socket preservation.

If your oral surgeon suspects that your gums may heal to the deformation of the socket that held your tooth, you will most likely be recommended for socket preservation. During the healing process, that socket can become deformed. If this happens, it will make dental implants more difficult if you decide to replace your tooth in the future.

In socket preservation procedures, the central goal is to preserve the bone volume by filling the socket with bone material substitutes. However, it comes with other benefits like:
•It establishes the foundation for future tooth replacement through a dental implant or dentures.
•It prevents teeth from drifting out of place.
•It helps prevent dry socket, a painful condition wherein the blood clot over the extraction site gets knocked out of place.

For an implant to be successful, the dental implant needs to be adequately integrated into the host bone in the proper position in three dimensions. Without enough bone, you have increased bone loss and gum recession around an implant over time. A socket preservation bone graft ensures you have enough healthy bone to gain dental implant treatment.

At Clove Dental Clinic, we’ve made it our mission to offer patients a wide range of unique dental services to help them overcome their dental problems or concerns. These are often problems related to the look or feel of their teeth and gums.