Cavitation surgery Dr. Panahpour, Santa Monica
An area of jawbone that never healed properly after a tooth was removed, often missed on a flat x-ray. It is found with 3D cone beam imaging, and treated only when the evidence supports it.
- 3D cone beam imaging before any decision
- Minimally invasive, with ozone and PRF from your own blood
- Some sites are treated, some are watched. You hear both.
- Weston A. Price Foundation
- Remarkable Dentists Podcast
- Exposing Mold Podcast
- Dr. Wendy Myers
- This Healthy Life
The tooth came out. The bone never fully filled in.
When a tooth is extracted, the socket is supposed to fill with new bone. Sometimes it does not. The gum closes over the top, while underneath a pocket of poorly healed bone can remain. Biological dentists call this a cavitation.
Because the surface looks healed, and a standard x-ray flattens the jaw into a single image, these sites are easy to miss. Cone beam CT shows the bone in three dimensions, slice by slice.
This page is for you if
- You had wisdom teeth or other teeth removed years ago
- An old extraction site has never felt quite right
- Your x-rays came back clean, but something still feels off
- Your physician wants your jaw ruled in or out
Five stages, guided by 3D imaging.
What happens when a site does need treatment.
- 01
Imaging
Cone beam CT shows the inside of the bone in three dimensions, where a panoramic x-ray cannot.
- 02
Access
A small, minimally invasive opening is made at the old extraction site.
- 03
Cleaning
Poorly healed tissue is removed and the bone is disinfected with a laser.
- 04
Ozone
Medical grade ozone is applied to disinfect the site before it is closed.
- 05
PRF
Platelet rich fibrin, made from a small sample of your own blood, is placed to support the bone as it heals.
Not every shadow is a cavitation.
Cavitations are still discussed and debated within dentistry, and a scan alone does not settle every case. That is why the decision is never made from imaging in isolation. Dr. Panahpour reads the images together with your history, your symptoms and what your physician has found.
Some sites are best treated. Some are best watched. You will hear both possibilities, and the reasons, before anything is scheduled.
Not sure this is right for you?
Ask Dr. Panahpour directly. The first conversation is unhurried, typically 60 to 90 minutes, by phone or in person.
Seven in ten patients are sent by their doctor.
Around seven out of ten of Dr. Panahpour's patients are referred by a physician, a chiropractor or another practitioner, often after other avenues have been explored.
He has practised biological dentistry since 1994, with training at NYU, Columbia, Sardinia and Sweden, and wrote The Good Dentist so patients can understand the work before they sit in the chair.
I've had three surgeries with Dr. Panahpour and I couldn't be in better hands. His focus on the whole-body system, his constantly updated knowledge, and his genuine care for me as a patient are second to none. I would whole-heartedly recommend him to anyone who wants to understand the connection between oral health and body health.
Often part of the same plan
Cavitation work often sits alongside these protocols.
Zirconia implants
Ceramic, metal free implants, planned with 3D cone beam imaging. Zirconia in practice since 2001.
About zirconia implants
Ozone therapy
Medical grade ozone to disinfect the field before anything is closed. Used in this practice since 2008.
How ozone is used
Safe mercury filling removal
Silver amalgam removed under the SMART protocol: the tooth isolated, vapour captured at the source and a separate air supply for you.
Safe removal, step by stepBiological dentistry
Materials and methods chosen for how your body responds to them: mercury safe, metal free where it suits, and as little drilling as the tooth allows.
Biological dentist in Santa Monica
Bite therapy and TMJ
When the bite is uneven the jaw tilts, the skull compensates and the neck follows. The bite is measured first, before any restorative work.
How bite therapy works
Biomimetic restoration
Bonded restorations that behave like natural tooth, trained at the Alleman-Deliperi school in Sardinia. Often an alternative to a crown.
How biomimetic worksVisit us in Santa Monica.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
- Parking
- Garage in the building
- Nearby
- Five minutes from Venice and Mar Vista
- Hours
- By appointment
- Phone
- (310) 986-6001
Patients also travel in from across Southern California and from more than fourteen countries.
What people ask before booking.
Anything else, ask Dr. Panahpour directly.
Ask a question ›What is a jawbone cavitation?
An area of bone that did not heal properly after an extraction, most often at an old wisdom tooth site. The gum heals over it, so it cannot be seen from the outside.
Why didn't my regular x-ray show it?
A standard x-ray compresses the jaw into one flat image, so changes inside the bone can be hidden by the bone around them. Cone beam CT shows the area in three dimensions.
What does cavitation surgery involve?
A small opening at the old extraction site, removal of the poorly healed tissue, disinfection with laser and ozone, and platelet rich fibrin from your own blood to support healing.
Is cavitation surgery right for me?
That depends on the imaging, your history and your symptoms. Not every finding needs surgery. Dr. Panahpour will explain what he sees and the options, including monitoring.
What is recovery like?
It depends on how many sites are treated and how large they are. You will receive aftercare instructions specific to your treatment and a follow up plan.
Can the missing tooth be replaced afterwards?
Often, once the bone has healed. A metal free zirconia implant can be considered after healing is confirmed on imaging.
Is this available in Sacramento?
Yes. Cavitation evaluation and care are also offered at the Sacramento office.
Bring your scans, or start fresh.
If you already have a cone beam scan, bring it. The first conversation is unhurried, typically 60 to 90 minutes, by phone or in person.
- 01Reach outSend the form, call or WhatsApp. Your message goes straight to Dr. Panahpour.
- 02A real conversationYour history, what has already been tried, and what you want from this. No rush.
- 03A clear planWhat he finds and what he would do, including when the answer is that you need nothing.
Closer to Sacramento? See the Sacramento office
Got it. Thank you.
Your message reached Dr. Panahpour directly. Someone from the office will reply within 1 to 2 business days.