Ridge preservation, a guided bone-regeneration procedure, involves the use of a barrier membrane to reduce tissue loss after extraction while maintaining space for bone formation.
Studies have shown that when looking at bone healing and soft tissue changes following single tooth extraction, the width of the ridge reduced by 50% during a 12-month period. In order to prevent this resorption from occurring, preservation or enhancement of bone volume is needed to ensure there is enough room for future restorative options, like dental implants.
Without ridge preservation, additional surgical procedures may be necessary prior to dental implant placement. The goal of ridge preservation is to "save the space" for your future dental implant. It also:
- Prevents uncontrolled resorption of bone following a dental extraction
- Helps control bleeding and prevents "dry socket" following extraction
- Halts resorption from an extraction site
- Makes the dental implant procedure more predictable.
