A natural tooth consists of a root and a crown. If you compare natural teeth to implant-supported replacement teeth, you’ll see they have the same basic parts. Both have a crown (the visible part used to chew food). Both have a root that holds the tooth securely under the gum and is anchored into the jaw. The difference is that the implant is made of titanium – the same time-tested material used by surgeons for artificial joints. When you lose a tooth, you lose both the root and the crown.

After tooth extraction, the tooth socket will usually fill naturally with bone in two to three months. However, without bone grafting the height and width of the  bony socket will decrease. This loss of bone ridge volume after tooth extraction can be quite dramatic, with up to 50% of the volume lost within six months.  Bone graft is  most often placed at the time of tooth extraction to help your body fill in the empty socket with bone, in a procedure known as socket preservation. This will maintain the width and volume of bone you will need for implant placement.

Dr. Hector L. Sarmiento graduated with a degree in Dental Medicine from the Universidad Cuauhtemoc in Mexico, where he then received training in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. He received his American dental license from the University of Rochester. Dr. Sarmiento also received his specialty certificate in Periodontics and his Masters in Oral Biology from the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated with honors. During his training Dr. Sarmiento was named the J.