Pre-Prosthetic Surgery

The preparation of your mouth before the placement of a prosthesis is referred to as pre-prosthetic surgery.

Some patients require minor surgical procedures before receiving a partial or complete denture in order to ensure the maximum level of fit and comfort. A denture sits on the remaining bone ridge, so it is extremely important that the bone is the proper shape and size.

If teeth need to be extracted, the underlying bone might be sharp and uneven. In order for the initial denture to fit comfortably at the time of extraction, the supporting bone is reshaped. Occasionally, excess or slightly irregular bone may need to be smoothed prior to final denture insertion. 

One or more of the following procedures might need to be performed in order to prepare the mouth for a denture:

• Bone reduction, reshaping and smoothing (alveoloplasty)
• Removal of excess bone (tori reduction)
• Removal of excess gum tissue (gingivectomy)
• Exposure and extraction of impacted teeth
• Bone grafting
• Guided tissue regeneration