Jawbone After Tooth Extraction: What Changes and Why?

What Happens to Your Jawbone After a Tooth Is Removed? 

Patients Ask Series: Part 2

By Mariam from OralTalkWithMariam 

Hey Smile Squad! 😁

After a tooth is removed, the jawbone in that area begins to change as the extraction site heals. The bone that once supported your tooth may gradually become narrower and shorter. How much it changes differs from person to person, but it may affect your options if you decide to replace the tooth later.

In Part 1 of the Patients Ask series, we looked at whether every missing tooth needs to be replaced and what may happen around the gap. This time, we are looking beneath the gum to understand what happens to your jawbone after a tooth extraction.

Your gum may appear healed before the changes beneath it are easy to notice. Because changes in the bone may not be easy to see or feel, you may assume that the entire extraction area has finished healing.

Why Does the Jawbone Shrink After Tooth Extraction?

Your jawbone may shrink after tooth extraction because the space that once held the tooth root does not keep its original shape as it heals. This space is called a tooth socket. New bone gradually fills the socket, but the surrounding area is not rebuilt to exactly the same shape and size it had before.

Think of a footprint left in wet sand. As water moves over it, sand gradually fills the hollow and softens its edges. The footprint looks smaller and less defined.

Dentists call this gradual change bone remodelling. Bone remodelling commonly occurs during healing and does not necessarily mean that something has gone wrong.

How Quickly Does the Jawbone Change After Tooth Extraction?

Changes in the bone around your extraction site tend to happen fastest during the first three to six months. Your jawbone may continue changing more slowly afterwards, although the timing and amount can differ from person to person.

Where your tooth was removed can also influence how the bone changes. If infection or gum disease had already damaged the area, less bone may remain after the extraction has healed.

How Much Bone Can You Lose After Tooth Extraction?

Research has recorded a wide range of bone loss after tooth extraction. A systematic review, which brought together findings from several studies and is available through the US National Library of Medicine⁠, reported a reduction of 29% to 63% in width and 11% to 22% in height within the first six to seven months. These figures refer to the small area around the removed tooth, not your entire jawbone, and cannot predict exactly how much bone will remain in your extraction area.

Can Jawbone Loss Affect Your Tooth Replacement Options?

Jawbone loss may affect how your tooth replacement is planned because not every option uses the bone in the same way. 

For example, a dental implant is placed in your jawbone and needs enough bone for support. If your dentist finds that there is not enough, you may need a procedure called bone grafting to increase the amount of bone available before or during implant treatment.

Jawbone changes may also affect the support beneath a removable denture, particularly when several teeth are missing. If your denture becomes loose or uncomfortable over time, your dentist can check whether it needs to be adjusted or replaced.

Can You Prevent Bone Loss After Tooth Extraction?

Bone loss after tooth extraction may be reduced, although preventing every change is not always possible. Some reshaping of your jawbone commonly occurs as the extraction site heals.

One treatment that may reduce bone loss after tooth extraction is called socket preservation. During the procedure, your dentist places bone graft material into the tooth socket to help it retain more of its shape while healing. Socket preservation may reduce bone loss, but it cannot guarantee that your jawbone will remain unchanged.

💙 Mariam’s Wrap

Research can show what commonly happens to the jawbone after tooth extraction, but it cannot tell you how much bone is available in your own mouth. If you are considering replacing a missing tooth, ask your dentist to examine the extraction area before you choose a treatment.

If a dental implant is one of the options you are exploring, read how dental implants replace missing teeth in Part 3 of the Patients Ask series.

Stay glowing,

Mariam from OralTalkWithMariam