Alveoloplasty

Why Alveoplasty?

When one or more permanent teeth are lost due to extraction, injury, or accident, each absent tooth leaves a hole in the jawbone. Although the gums will heal over the hole, the underlying jaw bone will inevitably have high and low points causing restorations such as dentures to rub against high points, create sore spots, and fit poorly. Furthermore, over time, the edentulous (toothless) area of the jaw will also lose a significant amount of bone, causing thinning of the top ridge and again making proper denture fit a nightmare. Finally, some patients simply have a little extra bone jutting out from the main jawbone, preventing correct denture fitting as well.

In such situations, we use alveoplasty to smooth out uneven areas, flatten and taper overly thin ridges, and prepare the jaw to receive dentures successfully. Not only does alveoplasty ensure a better fit for dentures, but it helps control bleeding and improves healing time following multiple extractions since we actually suture the tooth sockets closed rather than leaving them open to fill with a blood clot as with general single tooth extractions. Fast healing is especially helpful for cancer patients preparing to receive head or neck radiation. For such patients, decayed teeth must be removed and the sockets completely healed prior to commencing therapy. What’s Involved?

We often perform alveoplasty during the same appointment with single or multiple extractions. In such cases, we’ll do the extractions first. Then, to begin the alveoplasty procedure, your surgeon will simply make a careful incision in the gum tissue, peel it back to expose the bone, remove excess bony areas with clippers and a rotary drill, then smooth the section with a file. After smoothing the bone, your surgeon will remove bone particles via irrigation, then suture the entire incision closed. Typically, we’ll use a locking-suture technique to minimize bleeding and seal the tissue efficiently.

Sometimes your dentist will have taken an impression of your jaw and provided us with this model (or stent) as a means of indicating precisely where bone must be removed. In such cases, the surgeon will replace the gum tissue over the smoothed bone, place the stent on top, and reshape the bone as needed to accommodate.

Your Procedure Preparation.

There are numerous possible scenarios requiring alveoplasty, each requiring different levels of anesthesia. If we are not extracting teeth, but only performing an alveoplasty, we typically use local anesthesia. If we’re extracting several teeth prior to the alveoplasty, we may use IV anesthesia. Or, if we’re removing a great number of teeth, we may choose general anesthesia. We’ll discuss these sedation options with our patients during their consultation appointment.

Prior to your procedure, we’ll often provide you with an antimicrobial mouthwash with which to rinse your mouth, in addition to oral antibiotics and/or pain medication.

Your Recovery

After your alveoplasty, you’ll probably find that the surgery area is sore, swollen, and possibly a little bruised. The soreness will only last about a week, and is controllable via prescription pain medication for one or two days, followed by several days of over-the-counter analgesics such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and others). Most of the swelling will peak at 24 hours, then taper off; applying an ice pack to your face over the area will minimize this. Bleeding will also taper off after the first 24 hours.

To encourage rapid recovery, we’ll often prescribe antibiotics and/or and antibacterial rinse to prevent infection of the area, particularly if you are elderly or have had many teeth removed. You also can rinse with a saline solution. To minimize bleeding and protect the suture hold, we recommend a soft diet, lots of clear liquids, and avoiding the use of a straw since suction can cause bleeding.

Occasionally, the lip and chin nerves may be slightly bruised when alveoplasty is performed on the lower jaw. In such cases, you’ll notice a numbness even after the anesthetic has worn off. Because nerves heal slowly, this condition may persist for three to six months, although it will not cause any drooping or be perceptible to outsiders. Seven to 10 days after your surgery, your surgeon will evaluate your healing progress.

For more information on alveoplasty, contact our office with questions or to schedule a consultation.

MeeT

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Dr. Kostohryz is wonderful. He is so kind and it's obvious that he genuinely cares about his patients. His entire team was great. From check in to check out the service was excellent. Highly recommend FWOS.

Jennifer Bonds2022-02-03

Dr. Scheideman and his staff were fantastic! I had a wisdom tooth infection and horrible pain and my dentist referred me to FWOS. They were able to fit me in for a consult within 2 hours of my dentist calling, which was amazing. Yesterday I had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted. The nurse/tech (I think her name was Jennifer) was super friendly and confirmed all my information and put me at ease to prep me for surgery. Dr. Scheideman checked on me before we started and was very comforting. He even numbed the spot on my arm where the IV was placed so I literally felt no pain for the entire procedure. I woke up a little dizzy and numb but pain free. I was sent home with thorough instructions, pain medication, and aftercare supplies. Dr. Scheideman even texted me to check in on me the next day. I am shocked how little pain and swelling I've had, and I feel surprisingly good! Obviously I hope to never have oral surgery again but if I did I would run to FWOS. 10 of 10. Would recommend!

Lisa Deisinger2022-04-24

I have the worst fear of doing anything with my teeth. Dr. k and his staff really knew how to make me feel comfortable and assured me that I was in the right hands. I had the best experience here and it definitely changed the way I dental treatment in the future. Thank you to the staff that were professional, punctual and so very kind. And a big thank you to Dr. K for taking such great care of me!! Highly recommend!!

Britney Singleton

No nonsense, get er done dentist office made ya feel like everything will be OK, and they were right. Good job to all of you thank you. I will use yall for all my dentist stuff.

Shawn

Would love to rate much much higher than 5 stars! From the second I was welcomed, I felt like family. Dr.Runyon and his staff, were more than accommodating to my needs. Got me in immediately (less than 24 hours) for wisdom teeth extraction. Dr. Runyon even called me the night of, during his personal time to check up on me. I had no swelling- and even went to work the next day! Thank you all for all of your hard work. It doesn’t go unnoticed. ♥️

Megan Swartz

Initial interactions were professional and thorough, I had two extractions for implants. My bone structure was good so no need for a bone graft. Dr. ScheidimenExplained the process in simplistic terms. The whole process took about 30-40 minutes. Shawna, my nurse patiently answered all of my questions and concerns. This was a very positive procedure. I am grateful to the team.

Holly Witte2021-12-28

I have have one tooth at a time pulled.A good thing I wear a mask when in public. Not working now so I can have teeth pulled over period of time. I have been tramatized and spent fortune on root canals, caps etc over many years. I am now 72 and have receding gums, caps falling off etc. I think God for Dr. Scheidleman. He is brilliant and he CARES about his patients.He is patient and gentle. I feel confident and I am not scared. Five more to pull then implants. Thank you Dr. Scheidleman and God Bless. His office team also 😃👍 great.

Brenda Joy

Best experience I have had with dentist / oral surgeon. Dr. Kostohryz did a phenomenal job helping my dad with his teeth extraction.

Benjamin B2021-12-30

I always have a hard time with dentists. I hate the tools and most of the time, I feel as if the staff is constantly judging me but the staff here is amazing! I came in today(they fit me in within 2 days) for wisdom tooth removal after an infection. My jaw had been shifted, couldn’t eat, constantly in pain but they put me to sleep, pulled the two teeth, and walked me out to my car. All done within 15 minutes. I’m in no pain at all and even got a checkup text from Dr. Scheideman. I still have two more wisdom teeth to be pulled so I will DEFINITELY be using them again!

addie turner

Dr. Kostohryz and all his staff are great Highly recommend! You'll be in great hands!

Marisa L.2022-03-31