Why Is Ridge Regeneration Necessary?

As an oral surgeon, I want to share with you a question I often get asked, “Why do I need a ridge regeneration?” Well, first let me tell you a little bit about ridge regeneration. Ridge regeneration is where we have to reconstruct the shape or the space that is missing in the area of your jaw where a tooth used to be. It happens often when you have a tooth removed and nothing’s done to prevent that area from collapsing.

Our body’s natural response when we don’t have a tooth in the area that we want it to be is that that supporting bone or that tissue in that area is going to shrink, it’s going to condense and become smaller. Later, when we get asked to replace that tooth or come back and add back to that area we’ve got to regenerate what was lost because it shrunk away. So, a ridge regeneration is simply regenerating what was lost and rebuilding that space. When you try to preserve something, it’s a whole lot simpler than when you try to regenerate something and regenerations require a lot more effort and a lot more time and can be a little bit more unpredictable. It’s really important that you understand what your specific situation is, what bone is going to be used to regenerate that area, what’s the likelihood of it being successful, and what’s the final outcome you’re hoping to achieve. Ridge regenerations can be a beneficial way of getting you back to feeling healthy but the best choice is to try to prevent it from happening in the first place.