With the current shift towards backward planning in implant dentistry and the adaptation of prosthetically driven implant placement protocols, the morphology and dimensions of the post extraction alveolar ridge is important for implant supported restorations. Alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) procedures facilitate the installation of the dental implants in an ideal restorative position by maintaining the soft and hard tissue contour of the ridge, reducing the need for extensive bone grafting procedures.  Besides the strong supporting evidence, the applicability of ARP applicability has been disputed by clinicians who believe that such procedures are more of an “over-treatment” considering its ambiguous additional benefit over unassisted socket healing in several clinical scenarios.

This presentation will discuss the different treatment approaches and their supporting evidence for extraction socket management and will propose a decision making methodology for the selection between immediate or delayed implant placement and ARP. Clinical details for ridge preservation will be presented and discussed with case presentations and clinical videos.