Pre-Prosthetic Surgery

Minor oral surgery that prepares the mouth for a denture, a partial or implant teeth. It can mean smoothing and reshaping the bone (alveoloplasty), removing excess bone (alveolectomy), bony bumps (tori) or excess gum tissue, or removing roots and buried teeth left in the jaw. Dr. Godko does all of it in-house.

A denture rests on the bone ridge. When sharp edges or uneven bone are left where teeth were, a denture rocks, rubs and causes sore spots no matter how well it is made, and the bone also changes shape when teeth have been missing for a long time. Reshaping the ridge first gives the denture a smooth, even base: less slipping while you eat and speak, fewer sore spots, easier chewing and more confidence when you smile.

Alveoloplasty smooths and contours the alveolar ridge, the part of the jaw that held your teeth, so a denture has an even base. When extra bone has to be removed, the procedure is called an alveolectomy. Smoothing and reshaping the ridge is the most common form of pre-prosthetic surgery.

No. Many patients go straight to their denture with no surgery at all. Surgery is recommended only when the exam and imaging show bone or tissue that would stop a denture from fitting well.

Yes, when it is part of the plan. While the teeth come out, Dr. Godko smooths the ridge in the same appointment, so you heal once instead of twice. See tooth extraction.

Dr. Maxim Godko performs it himself, in-house. Nothing is referred out to another office.

It is typically done with local anesthesia, so the area is fully numb and you feel pressure, not sharp pain. If you prefer to be more relaxed, nitrous oxide, oral sedation or IV sedation is available, with Dr. Godko certified in all three. Soreness afterward eases over the following days.

The gum needs time to heal over the reshaped ridge, so your denture fitting or implant treatment is timed to how your tissue heals. You leave with aftercare instructions, and a follow-up visit is scheduled.

It is priced at your personalized consultation, once Dr. Godko knows how much of the ridge needs reshaping and whether it is done with extractions or grafting. We accept PPO plans and most carriers, including CIGNA, MetLife, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Delta Dental and GEHA Connection Dental. No Medicaid, DMO or HMO plans accepted. We work with your insurance to ensure you receive the maximum benefit. 0% financing through Cherry and our in-house membership plans are also available.

Sometimes. Titanium implants, the gold standard with up to a 95% success rate, hold teeth firmly, but the ridge still needs the right shape and size for them; bone grafting or ridge splitting builds it up when it is too thin. See full arch dental implants and snap-on dentures.