Dental & Oral Health

After extraction of the teeth, the alveolar bone goes through the remodeling process, which leads to horizontal and vertical bone loss. These reabsorption processes complicate dental rehabilitation, particularly in connection with implants. Careful management of post-extraction tissues is necessary to preserve the alveolar ridge. Several methods of guided bone regeneration have been described to retain the original bone size after extraction. Most procedures use filling materials and membranes to support the oral plaque and soft tissues, stabilize the clot and prevent epithelial growth. Instead of surgical augmentation to correct a defect peak, the socket-shield technique offers a promising solution. With this method, it will be demonstrated how the crest and the entire buccal bone are clinically preserved and the biological integrity of the buccal periodontium remains untouched. This method has also been described in connection with the immediate placement of the implant and the provisional crown. The immediate postoperative period, as well as the follow-up of one year, will be demonstrated as a functional and aesthetic result of the treatment. The socket-shell technique is a highly promising addition to clinical implant dentistry. We will discuss the possibilities, limitations, and guidelines for future research that we begin at our university.