Alveoloplasty--the oral surgeon's point of view.

A lveolectomy has been defined as “the surgical removal of a portion of the alveolar process.“7 Alveoloplmty is a newer and better term, for, technically, alveolectomy would have us cut off the entire alveolus. ThornaG has stated that some form of alveoloplasty is indicated in nearly every instance of multiple extractions and frequently even in single extractions. Alveoloplasty, whether simple or extensive, is perhaps the most common surgical procedure used to prepare the jaws to receive a prosthesis. While performing extractions, whether of one or many teeth, the oral surgeon should at all times consider the bone and/or soft-tissue procedures needed to leave the mouth in the best possible condition for future prosthrtic replacement. Alveoloplasty often facilitates t,he construction of a better-fitting and more esthetically pleasing denture. Among the factors which the oral surgeon must consider in evaluating this procedure arc the patient’s desire for improvement in his or her dental appearance and the patient’s comfort in wearing the dental prosthesis, whether it is an immediate denture or one fabricated after a delay of 3 or 4 months. There are few things more painful than wearing a denture on a ridge with many sharp spicules or severe undercuts of bone.