• Bone grafting to preserve bone width
  for implant placement.

• It is critical to preserve the width of the bone after tooth extraction.

  After a tooth is extracted there are fine walls of bone on each side of the extraction site.

• The bone has decreased in width because no grafting was done.

  If no grafting is done at the time of extraction, the bone changes shape dramatically.

• No width for implant placement.

  Because no graftng was done, there is inadequate bone width to accept the implant.

Steps in the grafting process

• Your tooth is decayed and extraction is recommended

• Prior to extraction, the bone is wide.

• After tooth extraction, an empty socket of bone now remains.

• The extraction leaves a hole in the bone.

• Freeze-dried human bone is placed into the socket.

• The graft maintains the socket’s shape after the extraction procedure.

• A teflon membrane is placed over the graft to hold it in place for one month.

• The membrane is barely visible when sutured into place.

• The membrane is removed, and the socket now becomes bone in six months.

• The membrane is now removed. Gum tissues now cover the extraction site.

• An implant is now placed in the bone. It fuses to the bone over six months.

• The implant can now be placed into the correct location because bone width was maintained due to grafting.