Ridge Augmentation

The alveolar process is sensitive to a variety of environmental and physiologic factors that influence its ability to function and maintain its integrity. Before implant therapy became available, the physiology and healing patterns of the edentulous ridge after a tooth was extracted were often neglected or not dealt with properly. These situations demand augmentation of the residual ridge to achieve successful implant placement and long-term survival. Although alveolar bone loss can be congenital, the result of trauma, pathology, and chronic/acute infection. In fact, after a tooth is extracted, approximately 25% of the bone volume has been reported to be lost after the first year. Over time, this deterioration may progress and is often reported to be responsible for a 40-60% loss of alveolar volume during the first 3 years after a tooth is lost. The placement of bone grafting materials to favor healing in osseous defects or to augment atrophic edentulous ridges to allow dental implant installation has been evaluated in a number of experimental and clinical studies, and has become a gold standard treatment in implant dentistry.