Ridge augmentation is a procedure that works to restore the bone growth in your jaw. It is often necessary after you’ve had a tooth extraction or lost a tooth. Our goal is to improve your jawbone’s health and improve your smile through our comprehensive ridge augmentation services. At Lovett Dental Piney Point, we offer these services in our offices.
Why Is Your Dentist Recommending Ridge Augmentation?
When a tooth is removed from the jawbone, that bone starts to breakdown. In some situations, this happens minimally, and you may not notice any problems. However, in some people, the jawbone recedes significantly. This can lead to an indent at the top of the gums, misalignment of surrounding teeth, and early decay development. To prevent or treat this, we may recommend the use of ridge augmentation.
How Does Ridge Augmentation Work?
Your dentist is likely to provide a full consultation and an x-ray when you come in for ridge augmentation services. That will allow us to make better decisions about the right type of care for your needs. If ridge augmentation is the right solution, the process will involve several steps.
- A bone graft is taken from another area of the body.
- The gum line in the impacted area is opened.
- The bone graft and any tissues are placed in the area.
- The bone grafted adheres to the existing jawbone.
- The area is stitched closed.
Most of the time, the process will take some time to heal. You can expect the ridge augmentation to be very effective, and it may look very normal. That is a good thing. During the coming weeks, the bone will grow together. This also leads to the jawbone becoming stronger. New bone grows as well, encouraging a healthy and normal ridgeline. Ridge augmentation has some risks but is overall a very safe procedure.
What Happens After Ridge Augmentation Services Are Completed?
Your jawbone will heal and grow over the coming weeks and months. During that time, you may be thinking about closing in the gap – and we encourage this. When you have a gap between teeth due to extractions or tooth loss, it encourages the bone to degrade over time. However, with ridge augmentation and some healing, we can fix that.
To prevent it from worsening again, we may encourage you to fill in that space with tooth replacement solutions. There are various ways to do this, and we can provide them all to you in our Texas office. Some of the options may include:
- Dental implant placement
- Partial or full dentures
- Dental crowns and bridges
- Dental veneers
- Oral surgery options
In every situation, you should consider ridge augmentation services and these types of treatments to improve your oral health prevent the onset of complications later. It is always important for you to consider ways to reduce dental problems, such as early decay.
Come in and see our team at least every six months to ensure you are maintaining your oral health and that any problems are taken care of right away. Keep in mind that ridge augmentation will improve your smile and give you more of the natural look you want to have.
Is It Time to Improve Your Oral Health? Lovett Dental Piney Point Village Can Help
When it comes to improving your oral health, our team can help you every step of the way. Ridge augmentation is just one of the ways we can do this. If you need ridge augmentation services or you are unsure what the best treatment option is for you, call Lovett Dental Piney Point today at 832-242-2030 to learn more about your options.