Extractions & Bone Grafting
Gentle tooth removal with the socket grafted at the same visit — so the bone is still there in six months when you want an implant, a bridge or a denture that fits.
Where this fits: A New You is an implant and denture practice. Periodontal surgery is something we also do — for our own patients, and for patients referred to us by other dentists — not the whole of what we are.
How a tooth comes out matters more than most people realise
An extraction is not simply removal. The bone around a tooth root is thin — in places under a millimetre — and it's easy to damage on the way out. Once it's gone, everything that comes afterwards gets harder and more expensive.
Atraumatic extraction means taking the time to ease the tooth out along its own axis, sectioning multi-rooted teeth rather than levering them, and protecting the walls of the socket rather than the clock. It takes longer. It is worth it every time.
Why the socket gets grafted the same day
An empty socket collapses. In the first six months a healing extraction site can lose a substantial share of its width, and the ridge keeps shrinking slowly for years after that. Placing graft material into the socket at the time of extraction — socket preservation — holds the shape while your own bone fills in.
The decision costs a fraction of what rebuilding the same bone costs later, and it is the difference between a straightforward implant in six months and a staged reconstruction in eighteen.
Worth asking, even if you're not planning an implant: grafting protects the teeth next to the gap too. Bone loss doesn't respect the boundary of the empty socket — it takes support away from the neighbours. If a bridge or a partial denture is the plan, or even if the plan is nothing at all for now, preserving the ridge keeps your options open and your remaining teeth better supported.
The grafting procedures, plainly
| Procedure | What it does | When it's used |
|---|---|---|
| Socket preservation | Graft material placed into the socket at the moment of extraction. | Almost any extraction where the site may carry an implant, a bridge or a denture later. |
| Ridge augmentation | Rebuilding width or height on a ridge that has already resorbed. | Sites where teeth were lost years ago and the bone has since narrowed. |
| Sinus lift | Raising the sinus floor and adding bone beneath it. | Upper back jaw, where the sinus has expanded into the space an implant needs. |
| Guided regeneration | Graft plus a membrane to keep faster-growing soft tissue out while bone forms. | Defects around teeth or existing implants with the right shape to regenerate. |
Timeline
- Soft tissue closes over: one to two weeks.
- Graft matures into bone you can place an implant in: three to six months, depending on the site and the size of the defect.
- Discomfort: mild to moderate soreness for a few days, usually handled with over-the-counter medication and ice.
The procedure itself is done under local anaesthetic, with sedation available. You should not feel pain during it.
What we'll tell you honestly
Not every socket needs grafting. A site with intact walls, in a spot that will never carry a restoration, sometimes heals perfectly well on its own — and we'll say so rather than adding a line to the estimate. What we won't do is take a tooth out today without telling you what the decision costs you in twelve months.
Extractions & Bone Grafting, answered
Does an extraction hurt?
Not during — the site is fully numb, and sedation is available if the appointment itself is the hard part. Afterwards, expect soreness for a few days, generally well managed with over-the-counter medication and ice.
Do I really need the socket grafted?
Not always. If the socket walls are intact and nothing will ever be built there, it can be reasonable to let it heal. But if an implant, bridge or denture is anywhere in your future, grafting now costs a fraction of rebuilding the same bone later — and it protects the neighbouring teeth in the meantime.
Where does the graft material come from?
Most commonly processed donor or bovine-derived mineral, both of which have long clinical track records and act as a scaffold your own bone grows into. Your own bone can also be used. We'll tell you which is being used and why.
How long until I can have an implant?
Generally three to six months after grafting, depending on the site and how much was rebuilt. Larger reconstructions take longer. A 3D scan at the follow-up confirms the bone is ready rather than assuming it.
What is a sinus lift and will I feel it?
It raises the floor of the sinus above your upper back teeth and places bone underneath, creating height for an implant. Recovery is usually easier than people expect. You'll be asked not to blow your nose forcefully for a couple of weeks, which is the instruction people find hardest.
Can the tooth be taken out and the implant placed the same day?
Sometimes — it depends entirely on whether the socket walls are intact and whether there's active infection. It's a bone question, decided from the scan and what we find at the extraction, not a preference. We'll tell you which situation you're in before we start.
What is dry socket and how do I avoid it?
It's when the blood clot is lost from the socket before healing, leaving bone exposed — and it is genuinely painful. The main risk factors are smoking, using a straw, and vigorous rinsing in the first few days. Avoiding those three for 72 hours prevents most cases.
Let's begin.
Request your free consultation, including X-rays, and we'll reach out to confirm a time. Prefer to talk now? Give us a call.
Grand Junction, CO 81505
| Monday | 8:30 am – 4:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 8:30 am – 4:00 pm |
| Wednesday | 8:30 am – 4:00 pm |
| Thursday | 8:30 am – 4:00 pm |
| Friday | Closed |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
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