The Healing of Free Gingival Autografts for Socket-seal Surgery: a Case Report

Tooth extraction will be followed by marked alterations to the tissue volume, in particular in the anterior zone, which may jeopardize the esthetic outcome of any dental treatment involving tooth extraction. If, however, ridge collapse can be prevented or minimized after tooth extraction, more predictable outcomes with superior esthetics can be accomplished along with fewer surgical procedures. Therefore, it was proposed that stabilizing the soft tissue architecture with a free gingival graft could minimize the soft tissue shrinkage. The following case report describes some surgical modifications and refinements in order to enhance the predictability of the socket- seal surgery.