Ridge Augmentation & Regeneration
Lafayette And Opelousas, LA
 When you are getting dental implants, one of the major considerations is whether you have enough healthy bone structure to support the prosthetic devices. At Oral and Facial Surgery Center, we offer ridge augmentation procedure to increase your jawbone density. Ridge augmentation is usually done with a bone grafting procedure, which involves packing bone grafting material into the existing bone in your jaw to accelerate new bone growth.
What is Ridge Augmentation?
Ridge augmentation is a procedure performed after tooth removal to preserve the alveolar ridge, the bony structure that creates the contours of the gums and jaw. Following tooth removal, the empty tooth socket is left in the bone. Since it is no longer required to support the natural tooth, the surrounding bone structure will start to dissolve and be reabsorbed into the body. As a result, the previous width and height of the ridge will degrade, and about 25 percent of the bone is lost within the first year.
Although rebuilding the alveolar ridge is not strictly necessary for medical purposes, it is required for dental implant placement. Ridge augmentation can help with rebuilding the bone in the jaw.
Ridge Augmentation Procedure
Before the beginning of the ridge augmentation procedure, we will first use local anesthesia and some form of sedation on you so that you don’t feel any pain and remain comfortable during the surgery. Laughing gas, oral pills, and IV medications are all safe sedation options we can use.
Many times, we will place the bone grafting material in the tooth socket immediately after tooth extraction. However, ridge augmentation can also be performed on people later on when they need dental implants or for aesthetic purposes.
We will make an incision in the gums to expose the underlying bone and then attach the bone graft material to it. The bone grafting material can be sourced from another part of the patient’s body, a cadaver, animal bone, or a synthetic material made in the lab.
Next, the gum tissue is folded over the surgical site and stitched in place. The wound is then allowed to heal, and the graft is allowed to fuse to the alveolar bone. If done correctly, this treatment will help re-grow healthy bone in your jaw.
Guided Bone Regeneration
It has become very common to perform guided bone regeneration along with ridge augmentation. This involves placing a barrier growth membrane on the graft site. The material will be packed with substances like collagen which stimulate bone healing and growth and help integrate the graft with your jaw. It also helps to hold the healing blood clot on the surgical site and prevent a dry socket.
Benefits of Ridge Augmentation
Ridge augmentation has several benefits:
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Reduced risk of bone loss: Bone resorption takes place soon after tooth extraction. With ridge augmentation, we can prevent the loss of your jawbone and help preserve its natural contours.
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Improved dental restorations fit: Dental restorations like dentures and overdentures are designed to follow the curvature of the alveolar bone. If the health of your ridge is compromised, these dental restorations will become uncomfortable and will not fit well.
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Attractive smile: Without a healthy alveolar ridge, your mouth will lose its structure. Your cheeks will sag and your lips will pucker. A ridge augmentation will preserve the natural structure of your jaw and make you look years younger. |
If you are preparing for a dental implant, ridge augmentation can help you build up your jawbone. To schedule an appointment with us, call us at 337-443-2533 for our Lafayette location or 337-381-3663 for our Opelousas location today. |
