What is extraction socket preservation?
Extraction socket preservation is the placement of bone graft material into a tooth socket immediately following extraction to slow bone loss and maintain socket volume for later implant placement.
When a tooth is removed, the bone that once surrounded the root begins to resorb within weeks and months. Extraction socket preservation addresses this by filling the empty socket with bone graft material right after the tooth comes out. The graft slows the natural breakdown of bone that otherwise occurs, keeping the socket volume and shape closer to what they were before extraction.
This procedure matters because dental implants need adequate bone width and height to integrate properly. Without socket preservation, patients often face two problems: delayed implant placement while bone regenerates, or acceptance of smaller implants that sit higher or angulated in the jaw. By grafting at the time of extraction, practitioners maintain better bone architecture and create more favorable conditions for implant placement months or even years later.
Socket preservation grafts use various materials, including allograft (processed human bone), xenograft (animal-derived bone), or synthetic bone substitutes. The graft is covered with a membrane to guide healing and protect the material while new bone forms. Dentists and oral surgeons in the Greenville area who focus on implant planning and placement often recommend extraction socket preservation when they know an implant will eventually be needed in that location.