Dental Implant Site Preparation Grafting
Periodontal Surgery - Socket Graft Procedure
Assessment
This first preoperative treatment photo of our socket grafting procedure sequence shows a tooth that has had a root canal which failed.
There was trauma to the tooth so the blood vessel popped, extravasating blood into the
pores of the tooth that eventually caused the tooth to become black in color.
Xrays - Radiograph Diagnostics
The adjacent xray shows a tooth with a silver filling at the tip of the root.
This procedure called an apicoectemy is an attempt to save a failing root canal by cleaning out the infection and sealing the other end of the tooth.
The tip of the root is removed and a retro-filling placed.
The shadow around the root is called periapical pathology and represents pus around the tooth.
Site Preparation - Extraction
Our 3rd photo shows the successfully extracted tooth.
Note the shortened root where the apicoectemy was performed. The silver filling material may have leached into the root structure causing the root to turn black also.
Site Preparation Grafting
The 4th picture shows the socket after tissue grafting was performed.
The filling of the tooth socket with grafton, irradiated bone and demineralized freeze dried bone particles serve to help keep the socket from caving in before an implant or bridge is placed.
The sutures are visible with a barrier membrane of alloderm to keep food out and seal the grafting material in the socket.
Post Operative Healing
This next photo in our surgery sequence shows a temporary bridge in place for 3-4 months to allow for tissue healing to occur where the graft was placed.
Temporary Bridge
Waiting for the tissue to mature will keep the bridge or implant tissues from resorbing.
In this case the space where the tooth was pulled will match the other front tooth. By doing the grafting instead of allowing the socket to collapse, we can make the front teeth even and the patient won't be "long in the tooth" (a situation where the tooth appears abnormally long).
Our last photo shows the final all porcelain to zirconia bridge. The zirconia frame blocks out the discoloration of the other front tooth while allowing for some nice translucency and color to be built into the bridge.
Periodontal Socket Grafts are one of many reconstructive implant site preparation procedures a dental surgeon can perform to provide the structures necessary for obtaining the functional and cosmetic outcomes desired by patients seeking dental implants.
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