Extraction and Bone Grafts

The most common reason for a dental bone graft is to prevent bone loss after a tooth is removed. These are called “socket preservation” since the bone-graft material is inserted into the empty socket left by the extracted tooth.

Generally, after a tooth is removed, the bone shrinks for 3-6 months after the removal. Presence of a tooth actually provides a stimulus for the bone to stay intact and once gone, the bone shrinks drastically both vertically and horizontally. Shrunken bone does not provide good support for an implant or a denture. To provide quality of life by replacing missing teeth with either an implant, bridge or denture, sound bone is required. This is why a bone graft is necessary. Generally, we use human bone for the graft.