There are many ways for a tooth to become compromised, damaged, or lost. In all cases, it’s imperative to replace the tooth to avoid further complications, such as the degradation of the surrounding jaw bone or migration of other nearby teeth. In many cases, there may not be adequate bone structure to support the surrounding teeth or future implants. To remedy this, Dr. Noie can use bone grafting materials which are meant to rebuild and regenerate the bone. Once there is a sufficient foundation of bone positioned, it increases the success rate of an implant being placed to restore and protect the integrity of your smile.

When a tooth is lost and not immediately replaced, the bone reacts to this event by 'shrinking back'. The bone becomes thinner from a width perspective and the bone height is frequently reduced. This process is known as bone resorption. In order to place implants, it is necessary to rebuild the bone width and height through regenerative surgical therapy. Bone grafting of the ridge is almost always required to enable accurate placement of dental implants. The grafting is completed utilizing tissue bank and/or synthetic bone particles combined with collagen membranes. It is a highly predictable procedure.

When a tooth is extracted and an implant is to be placed (either simultaneously or in the future) it is always necessary to complete bone grafting within the residual sockets that are left behind after the roots of the tooth are removed. The shape of the tooth root is always different from the shape of a dental implant and hence there are always residual socket defects (holes) that must be filled in so that there can be excellent contact of the implant to the newly formed bone.