After a tooth is removed, the surrounding bone begins to shrink which makes future implants more difficult and costly. Bone grafting preserves the extraction site by filling it with graft material that supports new bone growth, keeping your jaw healthy and your options open for implant placement down the road.
Why the bone shrinks after extraction
The bone that holds a tooth in place is called the alveolar bone, and it depends on the pressure of chewing through that tooth to maintain itself. Once the tooth is gone, that stimulus disappears and the body starts reabsorbing the bone. Studies put the loss at roughly 25–40% of the ridge width within the first six months alone. After a year, the difference can make implant placement significantly harder — or even require a more involved bone reconstruction later.
How socket preservation works
At the time of extraction, Dr. Kalantari fills the empty socket with graft material — either from a donor source, synthetic, or your own bone — and seals it with a membrane to keep the site stable. Over the next 3–6 months, your body remodels the graft into your own natural bone, ready to support an implant or simply hold the shape of your jaw.
Setting up a future implant
Bone grafting at the time of extraction is the simplest, lowest-cost way to keep dental implants on the table as a replacement option. If you're not sure yet whether you want an implant, grafting still preserves the choice — you can decide later without committing to anything now.
When grafting is most important
If you're planning wisdom teeth removal or another extraction in the front of the mouth — or anywhere a future implant is likely — grafting at the time of extraction is almost always worth it. We'll review your X-rays and walk through the trade-offs before you commit to anything.