Fighting bone loss with specialty care:

FAQs about ridge augmentation, preservation services

Whenever your teeth are engaged to crush or grind down food, the jawbone gets a “workout.” The force exerted by such day-to-day function is transferred from the roots of the teeth to the jawbone to retain the strength of these vital, supportive tissues effectively. However, when teeth are lost or extracted, there are no longer any roots in the jawbone that benefit from the forces generated by behaviors like grinding down food. Therefore, losing teeth speeds up the damaging process of the jaw’s bone loss. Fortunately, the Periodontal Center of Georgia in Conyers offers ridge augmentation and preservation treatments to prevent and stop the devastating complications of the bone resorption process.

What is a “ridge”?

The area of the jaw that encircles the tooth roots is known as the alveolar or bony ridge in the context of our specialty services. This ridge helps to hold the teeth in place. As the alveolar ridge shrinks or is resorbed, patients may no longer have adequate bone to support dental implants.

Why is adequate bone necessary for implants?

Dental implants are widely considered the “gold standard” for tooth replacement. The implant functions as a tooth root to stabilize the replacement teeth, be they a crown, bridge, or denture. The implant is introduced to the jawbone during a surgical procedure. The jawbone must be healthy to encourage proper healing and to provide proper support. There must also be sufficient bone; otherwise, the foundational support for the new teeth is lacking.

How do you augment or preserve bone?

Our periodontist, Dr. Jean-Max Jean-Pierre, offers various grafting services to augment or build up deteriorated bone. We can discuss your options for graft materials, including tissue taken from your body or synthetic or donor sources. These materials are then transferred to the part of the mouth that could use it the most. Ridge preservation or augmentation is a common grafting process involving special techniques to access the bone, apply the graft, and then regenerate the lost tissue. A graft may also be used to prevent the effects of bone loss following the extraction or removal of a tooth.

Why should I choose the Periodontal Center of Georgia?

Not all dentists’ offices have the capabilities and knowledge to offer grafting services, such as ridge augmentation and preservation. As specialists in periodontics, our team also has the technologies and advanced training to support utmost safety, comfort, and exceptional treatment outcomes. Other dentists and dental professionals from across the Conyers, Georgia, area trust their patients and often turn to us to effectively treat even the most complex or challenging cases. Call (770) 767-0603 to schedule your consultation today.