The success rate of an implant is highly influenced by the positioning and the surrounding tissues. Contemporary implant treatment planning involves backward planning; successful rehabilitation necessitates the presence of sufficient hard and soft tissues at the desired implant site. The loss of a tooth however, often results in significant resorption of the ridge with loss of both bone and soft tissue volume. Rebuilding the alveolar ridge can be a challenge, so avoiding the loss makes the subsequent treatment easier. Ridge preservation techniques have been in use for more than 15 years and offer predictable and easy ways to avoid the loss of valuable tissues. To ensure successful outcomes, certain factors have to be taken into account to reduce complications and maximise preservation of bone volume. Depending on the clinical situation encountered, ridge preservation can sometimes morph into a guided bone regeneration (GBR) procedure. It is therefore important that the clinician is able to successfully employ GBR techniques if required.

This workshop will present the theoretical and practical skills required to implement ridge preservation procedures successfully into your daily routine. Practical aspects will be practiced on pig jaws.

Learning objectives:

• How to preserve a ridge when tooth loss can not be avoided
• How to select the correct technique for the given situation
• What materials to choose in order to increase success rates
• Surgical assessment of a bony defect
• Basics of guided bone regeneration (GBR)
• How to implement ridge preservation and GBR into your office
• Patient assessment - medical considerations