Ridge Augmentation in San Jose, CA
 Ridge augmentation rebuilds the bone in your upper or lower jaw so a dental implant has something solid to anchor into, and our oral surgeons perform this procedure for patients across San Jose, CA.
When a tooth has been missing for a while, or your jawbone has thinned from gum disease, denture wear, or aging, there often isn’t enough bone left to hold an implant directly. Ridge augmentation is the preparatory step that fixes that.
If your dentist or surgeon has told you that you need ridge augmentation before getting implants, you’re in the right place. It’s a routine pre-implant procedure at South Valley Oral and Facial Surgery, and we approach each case with both bone width and bone height restoration in mind, depending on what your specific situation calls for. The implant itself comes later, after the new bone has healed and integrated.
We treat patients from San Jose, Gilroy, and Los Banos at our three offices, and ridge augmentation is one of the most common surgeries we use to make dental implant placement possible for people whose bone has changed over time. If a previous provider told you an implant wasn’t possible, that’s often no longer the final answer. Modern bone grafting techniques regularly turn “not a candidate” into “good candidate.”
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What Is Ridge Augmentation?
 Ridge augmentation is a bone grafting procedure that rebuilds the alveolar ridge, which is the part of the jawbone that once held your natural teeth. After a tooth is lost, the surrounding bone immediately starts to shrink. Within the first year, the ridge can lose up to 25 percent of its width. Over several years, both the width and the height of the ridge can drop significantly. When the ridge has lost enough volume, a dental implant no longer has the bone it needs to integrate into.
The goal is straightforward. We add bone graft material to the deficient area, protect it with a barrier membrane, and let your body slowly convert that graft into your own new bone over 4 to 6 months. Once the new bone has matured, the area can support an implant just like a healthy native ridge would.
When You Might Need It
Ridge augmentation is typically recommended in these situations:
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Long-Standing Tooth Loss – Bone shrinks fastest in the first year after extraction and continues to recede over time
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No Socket Preservation at Extraction – If socket preservation wasn’t performed when the tooth was removed, the ridge often collapses
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Long-Term Denture Wear – Removable dentures accelerate bone loss because they don’t stimulate the underlying ridge the way natural tooth roots do
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Periodontal Bone Loss – Advanced gum disease can destroy the bone supporting the teeth long before the teeth themselves come out
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Trauma or Cysts – A previous facial injury, a pathology removal, or a difficult extraction can leave a localized defect |
The shape of the deficiency matters. Some patients have lost width but kept good height. Some have lost height in the upper jaw and need a sinus lift in combination with a ridge graft. We confirm exactly what you need with 3D CBCT imaging at the consultation.
Graft Material Options
Several types of bone graft material work well for ridge augmentation. We’ll discuss the choices at your consultation based on the size of the defect, your medical history, and your preferences. The most common options include autograft (your own bone, usually harvested from another small site), allograft (rigorously screened human donor bone), xenograft (bovine-derived bone, very widely used worldwide), and synthetic graft materials. Each has its own healing timeline and predictability profile, and modern allograft and xenograft materials perform extremely well for the great majority of ridge defects we see.
Your Ridge Augmentation Surgeons in San Jose
Ridge augmentation is a surgical procedure, and you want it done by a surgeon who does it regularly. Both of our doctors are board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons, which means they completed 4 to 6 years of hospital-based residency training after dental school specifically in bone grafting, dental implants, and reconstructive jaw surgery. That training depth matters because every ridge defect is different.
Dr. Joseph McMurray has been practicing oral and maxillofacial surgery for more than 35 years and founded our Gilroy office in 1997. Before private practice, he served 11 years with the U.S. Navy, including as fleet oral surgeon aboard the USS Nimitz and as clinical department head at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Naples, Italy. Dr. Arian Chehrehsa is dual board-certified in both Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Anesthesiology, with particular expertise in full-mouth implant reconstruction. He leads regional study clubs on full-arch implant surgery, which keeps him in regular contact with the most current grafting and implant techniques.
The Ridge Augmentation Process
 Ridge augmentation is typically an outpatient procedure performed in our office under local anesthesia, with IV sedation available for patients who’d rather be asleep through it. Most cases take 60 to 90 minutes from start to finish. Here is what to expect at each stage.
Step 1 – Consultation and 3D Imaging
We start with an exam and a CBCT scan. The 3D image shows us exactly where your bone is deficient, how much volume needs to be rebuilt, and whether any anatomy in the area changes the plan. We use this scan to map the eventual implant position and to design the graft accordingly.
Step 2 – Anesthesia
We numb the area thoroughly with local anesthesia. If you’ve elected sedation, our team administers it before the surgery itself begins. Dr. Chehrehsa is board-certified in anesthesiology, so sedation decisions are handled in-house by our own surgical team rather than by a separate anesthesia provider.
Step 3 – Graft Placement
We make a small incision in the gum to expose the deficient ridge, then place the graft material into the area where bone is missing. For a width defect, we layer the graft along the side of the ridge. For a height defect, we build it upward. We cover the graft with a barrier membrane to keep the surrounding soft tissue from growing into the graft space, which would interfere with new bone formation.
Step 4 – Closure and Healing
We close the gum with sutures and send you home with detailed post-op instructions. Most patients have moderate swelling for 2 to 3 days, manageable discomfort that responds well to standard medications, and a soft diet for about a week. Sutures come out at a one-week follow-up.
Step 5 – Bone Maturation
This is the part that takes time and can’t be rushed. Over the next 4 to 6 months, your body slowly converts the graft material into your own new bone. Larger defects sometimes need closer to 9 months. We confirm the new bone is ready with another CBCT scan before scheduling the implant placement.
Step 6 – Implant Placement
Once the ridge has been rebuilt, implant placement proceeds in much the same way as if you’d had a healthy ridge from the start. Some patients are even candidates for All-on-4 full-arch implants once the ridge is restored, depending on the original extent of bone loss.
Benefits of Ridge Augmentation
The clearest benefit is that ridge augmentation makes a dental implant possible when the existing bone wouldn’t hold one. The value goes beyond just enabling the implant.
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Opens the Door to a Permanent Solution – Implants don’t shift, decay, or require adhesives the way dentures do, and once the ridge heals we proceed directly to implant placement under the same surgical team
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Restores the Natural Contour of the Jaw – We map the eventual implant and crown position from the CBCT scan before placing the graft, which keeps the rebuilt ridge contoured to the final restoration
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Improves Long-Term Implant Stability – A properly rebuilt ridge gives the implant more bone-to-implant contact, which is why our team takes the time to match graft volume to the implant plan rather than under-grafting
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Stops the Cycle of Bone Loss – Once an implant is placed in the new bone, it stimulates the ridge the way a natural tooth root would, helping prevent further jawbone deterioration
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Enables Better Esthetic Outcomes – In the front of the mouth especially, a properly contoured ridge is essential for an implant crown that looks natural rather than long or recessed
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Prepares the Site for Multiple Implants – If you’re missing several teeth in a row, ridge augmentation can prepare the area for a row of implants or a full mouth implant restoration
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Patients who choose ridge augmentation usually do so because they want a lasting fix rather than a workaround. For people who’ve worn dentures for years and are tired of the limitations, the combination of a rebuilt ridge plus implants is often life-changing.
Why Choose Our Team for Ridge Augmentation
Ridge augmentation is a bread-and-butter procedure for an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and a much rarer one for a general dentist. Our surgeons spent years in residency learning exactly how to handle the soft tissue, how to choose between graft materials for a given defect, and how to manage the cases that don’t go textbook the first time. Patients regularly come to us after a general dentist has told them their bone won’t support an implant. In most of those cases, ridge augmentation makes the implant possible.
A few specific things our patients mention:
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In-House Anesthesia Expertise – With Dr. Chehrehsa’s anesthesiology board certification, sedation decisions are made by your own surgical team
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3D CBCT Planning – We plan every ridge augmentation case from a 3D scan rather than from 2D X-rays, which means fewer surprises during surgery
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Coordinated Pre-Implant Care – If your case needs ridge augmentation plus a sinus lift, we plan and sequence both procedures so you’re not bouncing between providers
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Three Office Locations – Patients across the South Bay and Central Valley can choose between San Jose, Gilroy, and Los Banos for follow-up visits during the healing period
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Decades of Combined Experience – Dr. McMurray has been performing bone graft and ridge procedures for over three decades |
We also explain things in plain language. If you leave a consultation still confused about why you need this procedure or what is going to happen, something has gone wrong on our end. We want you to understand the plan before you agree to it.
Ridge Augmentation Cost and Financing
Cost matters, and we’ll be straight with you about it during the consultation. The fee depends on several factors: the size of the defect, the type of graft material used, whether a barrier membrane is needed, whether sedation is used, and whether the procedure is combined with extractions or other work. A small single-tooth ridge graft is a much smaller fee than a large multi-tooth reconstruction. Every patient gets a written estimate after the CBCT scan and exam, so there are no surprises later.
Dental insurance varies on ridge augmentation. Some medical plans cover a portion when jaw bone loss is severe enough to be classified as a medical issue rather than a purely dental one. Dental plans sometimes cover a portion when ridge augmentation is performed at the same time as an extraction. We review your specific coverage during the consultation and tell you what we expect insurance to handle and what your out-of-pocket portion is likely to be. We also offer financing through third-party lenders. More on our insurance and financing options.
Schedule Your Ridge Augmentation Consultation
If your dentist has mentioned ridge augmentation, or you’ve been told your bone won’t support an implant, the next step is a consultation and a 3D scan. Call us at 408-479-9449 or request an appointment online to get started. Our San Jose office is at 5595 Winfield Blvd, Suite 202. We also see patients at our Gilroy and Los Banos offices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ridge augmentation painful?
Most patients describe the discomfort as similar to having a tooth extracted, manageable with standard pain medication and largely gone within 3 to 5 days. The area is fully numbed during the surgery itself, and IV sedation is available if you’d rather be asleep. The swelling is usually more noticeable than the pain.
How long does the bone need to heal before I can get the implant?
For most ridge augmentations, we wait 4 to 6 months before placing the implant. Larger reconstructions sometimes need closer to 9 months. We confirm the new bone is ready with a follow-up CBCT scan before scheduling implant surgery, so the timeline is based on what your bone actually looks like rather than a fixed calendar.
Where does the bone graft material come from?
There are four sources. Autograft uses your own bone, usually taken from another small site in your mouth. Allograft is rigorously screened human donor bone. Xenograft is bovine-derived bone and is the most commonly used option worldwide. Synthetic graft materials are also available. Each option works well for most ridge defects, and we’ll recommend the one best suited to your case at the consultation.
What happens if the graft doesn’t take?
Graft failure is uncommon. Success rates for ridge augmentation in healthy patients are generally in the 90 to 95 percent range. If a graft doesn’t mature as expected, the typical path is to remove the unincorporated material, let the site heal, and redo the graft once the tissue is healthy again. Smoking, uncontrolled diabetes, and certain medications are the most common factors that interfere with graft success, and we discuss these at the consultation.
Can I have an implant placed at the same time as the ridge augmentation?
Sometimes. If the existing bone is deficient but still stable enough to hold the implant on day one, we may place the implant and graft around it in a single surgery. This is called simultaneous grafting. For larger defects, the implant has to wait until the graft has fully matured, which is the more common scenario. The CBCT scan tells us which approach your case allows.
How is ridge augmentation different from a sinus lift?
A ridge augmentation rebuilds the upper or lower jaw ridge in width or height. A sinus lift specifically adds bone to the upper jaw molar area by lifting the floor of the maxillary sinus and placing graft material underneath. Some patients need both procedures, which we often plan together so you only have one surgical visit.
I’ve worn dentures for years – is ridge augmentation still worth it for me?
For most long-term denture wearers, yes. The bone loss from years of denture wear is exactly the situation ridge augmentation is designed to address. Many of our denture-wearing patients move on to All-on-4 or full-arch implant restorations once their ridges are rebuilt, and they tell us they wish they’d done it sooner. The consultation will tell you whether your specific case is a good candidate.
How does insurance handle ridge augmentation?
Don’t assume it’s either fully covered or completely out of pocket. The CDT codes for bone grafting (D7950 and D7953) are sometimes covered by dental plans, especially when paired with extraction. For severe cases, we can sometimes submit to medical insurance using a CDT-to-CPT crosswalk. We do that verification work before treatment so there are no surprises on the day of surgery. |
