Periodontist Researcher Shows Bioactive Dental Bone Grafts Help Save Teeth

New techniques and materials help prevent additional tooth loss after extraction

SCARSDALE, NY, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- It is hard enough on patients to go through the extraction of a single tooth. What people may not realize is that an extraction of one tooth increases the risk of damage to, and eventual extraction of, the teeth that are adjacent to the extracted tooth. Dr. Robert A. Horowitz, DDS, a periodontist and implant specialist in Scarsdale, NY, recently released a professional paper in the peer-reviewed Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry showing how inserting dental bone graft material at the time that a tooth is extracted can protect the health of the teeth adjacent to the extraction.

“Tooth extraction is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in dentistry today,” says Dr. Horowitz. “While the immediate focus of post-extraction is on healing of the extraction site itself, the impact of an extraction on adjacent teeth is a significant concern. The loss of a tooth can create a cascade of biomechanical, physiological, and pathological changes that can compromise the integrity and survival of neighboring teeth.”

One cause of damage to adjacent teeth is bone loss, which is common after tooth extraction. This weakens the support for teeth adjacent to the site of the extraction. Bone loss also can expose the roots of the adjacent teeth and make them more susceptible to cavities. The adjacent teeth can shift, which affects the mechanics and forces of chewing and may cause cracks in the teeth. If a tooth is extracted because of advanced gum disease or extensive cavities, adjacent teeth may be susceptible to decay and bone loss because of the same inflammation, infection, and other factors that contributed to the failure of the first tooth.

“My colleague and I placed a bioactive dentin bone graft into site of the tooth extraction in combination with a bioactive, amnion-chorion membrane barrier,” explains Dr. Horowitz. “Our article in Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry describes how this combination of materials improves the prognosis for teeth that are adjacent to the extraction site. Bone grafting can reduce bone resorption, while optimal barrier membranes can help guide the regrowth of soft tissue around the extraction site, strengthening the bone supporting the adjacent teeth.” Horowitz and colleagues also describe in a 2024 Medical Research Archives article the positive changes in bone formation after inserting this type of next-generation dental bone graft.

“As a periodontist, I often need to preserve, augment, and regenerate the remaining bone to enable the placement of one or more dental implants while protecting surrounding teeth,” says Horowitz. “Dental implants help patients regain self-confidence because they support restorations, enabling people to be better able to chew, speak and smile. By using next-generation bone graft and barrier membrane materials that increase the body's healing potential, teeth next to the tooth that has to be extracted can be saved.” This will simplify and decrease cost for future treatments.

Horowitz expects dental caries and resultant tooth damage, extractions, and implants to become more common in the coming years as states and the Federal government remove legislation for water fluoridation, which helps protect teeth from decay.

Robert A. Horowitz, DDS
Robert A. Horowitz, DDS
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