Carving the Niche for Implant Placement in Narrow Alveolar Ridges: A Case Report

Insufficient width of the alveolar ridge often prevents ideal implant placement. Guided bone regeneration, bone grafting, alveolar ridge splitting and combinations of these techniques are used for the lateral augmentation of the alveolar ridge. Ridge splitting is a minimally invasive technique indicated for alveolar ridges with adequate height, which enables immediate implant placement and eliminates morbidity and overall treatment time. The classical approach of the technique involves splitting the alveolar ridge into two parts with use of ostetomes and chisels. Modifications of this technique include the use of rotating instrument, screw spreaders, horizontal spreaders and ultrasonic device. The purpose of this article is to thoroughly describe all the different approaches in ridge splitting technique. Procedures in Dental implantology have witnessed significant advancement in the recent times. A plethora of options have opened these days owing to improved surgical techniques and wider criteria for patient selection. Ridge-expansion technique has gained immense popularity in patients with limited crestal bone width yielding improved outcomes. The procedure entails implant placement in narrow alveolar ridges following splitting and expanding the existing bone. This article illustrates this approach with a fascinating clinical case of insufficient mandibular alveolar ridge.