Alveoloplasty is a surgical procedure performed at the Bay Area OSM offices to reshape and contour your jawbone. It is often needed before being fitted for dentures so that they can fit snuggly.
After a tooth is extracted, it will leave a hole. After the gum heals you will feel highs and lows on the jawline. This can result in poorly fitting dentures. The high points may rub against the dentures causing sore spots.
Some who have been missing teeth for many years may have a reduced alveolar ridge and therefore not have enough of a jaw bone for the dentures to fit onto.
Other times an alveoloplasty is used if you have bone spurs on your jaw, especially after a tooth extraction. It is especially important to help extraction sites heal properly and to make sure your gum tissue doesn’t become raised afterward.
Apart from smoothing the jawbone, alveoloplasty can be used to speed up the healing process after multiple teeth are extracted. Usually, when a tooth is removed, the provider leaves the hole open and a blood clot fills the hole. The gum eventually closes over the hole. With alveoplasty, the gums are stitched together, closing the hole. This speeds up recovery and reduces blood loss because the socket is not left open.
It may be important for some patients to heal faster, such as those with cancer. Before someone receives radiation treatment to the head or neck, any decayed teeth will need extracting. This is because during radiation treatment salivary glands can dry up and blood flow is reduced, making the decay worse. Once the decayed teeth are removed, the sockets need to heal before the radiation treatment can begin.
Alveoloplasty can be used in this situation to speed up the recovery so that the radiation therapy can begin. Even if a single tooth is removed, it can be used.