alveolar ridge

alveolar ridge, in anatomy, the raised thickened border extending from the maxilla (the upper jaw) and the mandible (the lower jaw) that contains the sockets for the teeth.

The alveolar ridge is made up of both soft tissue and hard tissue, the latter consisting primarily of the alveolar bone. Within each tooth socket is a region known as the lamina dura, which is surrounded by alveolar bone. That bone is in turn surrounded by the incisive bone and the mandible or maxilla. Between the cementum of the tooth and the alveolar bone of the tooth socket lies the periodontal ligament, a fleshy tissue that holds the tooth in place.

The shape and size of the alveolar ridge are sometimes affected by tooth loss, tooth extraction, or other factors, such as injury. An empty tooth socket can heal on its own, although, in some instances, bone loss occurs, and the surrounding soft tissue and alveolar bone deteriorates, altering the contour of the alveolar ridge. These changes can cause headaches, pain when chewing, and difficulty with speech, and they can alter aesthetics, often producing distortion in facial features. In such cases, alveolar ridge augmentation may be considered, wherein the ridge is surgically rebuilt and reshaped to accommodate a dental implant.