Dr. Eric Morrison is an experienced dentist in Chevy Chase, and works with a team of highly-qualified oral surgeons to provide the best possible patient care. Whether you need a tooth extraction, dental implant, or a more complex treatment like bone grafting, we’re here to help. Schedule your consultation today to learn more about how we can help.
Surgical tooth extractions are usually required when the tooth that must be removed has not fully erupted from the gums. This is the most common when removing wisdom teeth, which often do not fully emerge, and can cause a variety of complications.
However, a surgical tooth extraction may also be needed if a tooth is driven back into the socket (dental intrusion) due to serious dental trauma. This is more common in children, since their alveolar (jaw) bone is weaker, but it can happen in adults, too.
A surgical tooth extraction involves creating an incision in the gum tissue near the tooth that must be removed. Once all of the tooth material has been extracted, the area will be cleaned, disinfected and sutured shut to promote proper healing.
Bone grafting is a procedure that is used to strengthen your natural jaw bone before implant placement surgery. If you lose a tooth and do not have it replaced with an implant right away, the underlying jaw bone will begin to weaken due to the process of bone resorption. You can lose as much as 25% of your jaw bone within one year of tooth loss.
If your jaw is too weak, this can prevent you from having a dental implant. But a bone graft can be used to place external bone into the socket where your implant will be placed. Then, the area is cleaned and sutured shut. Over a period of 3-6 months, natural jaw bone will grow around the implanted bone, strengthening the area enough for the placement of a dental implant.
We work with certified, professional oral surgeons for dental implants, and we can coordinate a wide variety of tooth replacement procedures. From single-tooth implants with dental crowns, to restoring multiple teeth with implant-supported bridges and even full-mouth reconstruction with implant-supported dentures, we do it all at Morrison Cosmetic Dentistry. Contact us now to learn more about your options for tooth replacement in Chevy Chase.