Socket preservation

Socket preservation, sometimes called a ridge preservation graft, is done at the extraction visit. Material is placed in the hole, and the gum is closed or covered so the graft stays put. The goal is a more predictable site when an implant is planned later.

It is one entry on the bone grafting list, split out here because the timing and the home care differ from a sinus lift or a large ridge rebuild. Dr. Curtis or Dr. Samimi will say if your socket actually needs it. Some sockets can take an implant the same day. Some should be left alone.

This is considered when a tooth has to come out and an implant is the likely replacement, especially if the walls of the socket are thin.

• A front tooth whose loss would show as a dip in the gum
• A molar or premolar you hope to replace with an implant after healing
• A socket with a missing wall, where the graft needs help holding its shape
• A plan from your dentist that already names a future implant

The tooth is removed first. The socket is cleaned. Graft material is placed, and a membrane is used when the site needs one. The visit is usually similar in length to a surgical extraction. Local anesthesia numbs the area. IV sedation is available if you do not want to be aware of the extraction.

You leave with gauze and written instructions. The graft then heals under the gum. The surface often looks quiet in about three weeks. The bone is still maturing for months — commonly three to six months — and a scan is taken before an implant is scheduled.

Home care follows the graft aftercare page, not the plain extraction sheet. The difference that matters most: stay off the graft side for a full week, and expect sutures to stay closer to two weeks.

Day of surgery

Firm gauze for about 30 minutes. Ice 15 minutes at a time, this day only. No straw, no hard rinsing, no chewing on that side. A few sand-like grains can appear. Leave them alone.

Days 2 through 7

The prescribed rinse starts the next day. Swelling often peaks around day 3. Soft foods. Do not eat on the graft side for the entire first week. Skip heavy lifting for two days.

Week 2 and the months after

Sutures are often removed or dissolving around two weeks. The gum continues to settle toward three weeks. The implant, if one is planned, waits until a later scan shows the graft has consolidated.

Call us if…

• Bleeding does not slow after pressure or a moist tea bag for 30 minutes
• A membrane is exposed or graft material keeps spilling out
• Swelling is worse after day 3
• You are still numb the morning after surgery
• You get a rash after an antibiotic

Download extraction-with-graft instructions (PDF)

What socket preservation costs depends on the plan written at your visit. Dr. Chad M. Curtis or Dr. Soroush Samimi will tell you the surgical fee after they have examined you and looked at current imaging.

The things that usually change that fee:

• Whether grafting or a membrane is part of the same surgery
• The anesthesia plan — local anesthesia, IV sedation, or general anesthesia
• The restoration your dentist builds afterward, such as a crown, a bridge, or a full arch
• Whether new imaging is needed before a plan can be written

This office takes most PPO dental plans. Call (561) 278-0004 after the consultation for an estimate of your portion. The tooth or teeth your dentist makes on top of the surgery are usually billed by that dental office.