When a tooth is extracted, the socket left behind starts losing bone almost immediately. Without the tooth root there to stimulate it, the surrounding bone begins to collapse and shrink, and if enough bone is lost, placing an implant later becomes difficult or impossible without extensive rebuilding first. Ridge preservation, done at the same time as the extraction, is how I prevent that from happening in the first place.
Why This Isn’t Just a “Bone Graft”
I want to be clear about the distinction, because patients often use the terms interchangeably. A bone graft is typically a separate procedure to rebuild bone that’s already been lost, sometimes years after a tooth was extracted. Ridge preservation is different. It happens in the same visit as the extraction itself, before any significant bone loss has occurred, and its goal is prevention rather than reconstruction. It’s a much smaller, more predictable procedure, and it’s the reason I recommend it to nearly every patient who’s having a tooth extracted and may want an implant down the road, even if they’re not ready to commit to the implant yet.
Why Timing Matters
A tooth-supported bridge doesn’t stop this process either. It replaces the visible crown, but the bone underneath still resorbs because there’s no root left to stimulate it. This is what makes timing so important. The best window to preserve the ridge is at the moment of extraction, before the bone has started collapsing, not after the socket has already shrunk and changed shape.
How Ridge Preservation Works
Immediately after the tooth is removed, I place a bone substitute material into the empty socket to fill the space completely. A protective covering, designed to support healing, is shaped and placed over the site, and the area is sutured to protect it while it heals.
Over the following months, your body gradually replaces that bone substitute material with your own natural bone. This is what preserves the height and width of the ridge, keeping your options open for the future.
Once the site has fully matured, typically several months later, it’s ready for an implant to be placed, in bone that’s held its shape rather than bone that’s had years to resorb.
Who Should Consider This
If you’re having a tooth extracted, whether from decay, trauma, or periodontal disease, and there’s any chance you’ll want to replace it with an implant in the future, ridge preservation is worth discussing before the extraction happens, not after. Even patients who aren’t ready to move forward with an implant right away benefit from preserving the option.
Schedule Your Consultation
If you have a tooth that needs to be extracted, call our office at (347) 493-2439 or schedule your consultation online so we can evaluate whether ridge preservation is right for your situation.
