Have you ever lost a tooth and your dentist told you that you are not a candidate for a dental implant? Or maybe you have had a dental implant that failed?  Why would this be the case?!  Why wouldn’t anyone be able to get an implant that wants one?

It could be that the bone in your dental ridge is not wide enough or deep enough to hold an implant in place.  In this case, the solution is a ridge augmentation by an experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeon.  As In-Network PPO Providers for most insurance plans, Dr. Ramsey Fanous and Dr. Gene Morris of Caprock Oral Surgery in Lubbock, Texas are to the rescue!

What should you expect with a ridge augmentation?  After a tooth or teeth are lost, bone begins to resorb or deteriorate.  Phase I would be bone grafting to the area.  There are several techniques to increase the amount of bone needed to place an implant. Our surgeons will evaluate the best solution for each particular patient— using our state–of-the-art diagnostic technology. After this phase you are ready for Phase II.

Four months later, Phase II is the titanium implant procedure.  It is important to note that bone loves titanium!  Science is amazing in this way!  It will take approximately three to four months for the bone grafting to grow around the titanium implant, so the implant will be strong enough for the last phase, Phase III….the abutment.  The abutment is what holds the new tooth (or crown) onto the implant.

Phase III does not involve sedation.  Our staff will schedule you to go directly to your dentist’s office for your impressions for your new crown, the same day our surgeons place the abutment onto the implant.

Do you want to know if you are a candidate for ridge augmentation and implants?