When you lose teeth, and do not replace them, the jawbone deteriorates where the tooth socket once was. This makes it more difficult to get dental implants, but hope is not lost. The good news is that Dr. Clark can perform a process called ridge augmentation to restore the bone structure that is needed for restorative procedures such as dental implants. The process involves lifting the gum from the ridge to expose the defected area of the bone. Then Dr. Clark uses either the patient's own bone, a donor bone, or a bone-like substance to rebuild the defected areas. The ridge augmentation greatly improves the appearance of the mouth and increases the chances for success with dental implants.