The Book Flap: A Technical Note

Purpose: To present a useful technique for widening the thin alveolar ridge for placement of an implant or bone graft. Materials and Methods: A partial soft tissue flap is elevated over the alveolar ridge and the ridge is split with an osteotome. The technique out-fractures the buccal plate and maintains the labial soft tissue to preserve the blood supply to the buccal bone. Results: The book flap has been employed in over 500 cases over the past 12 years. Approximately 90% were successful in providing adequate width to accommodate an implant. Infection occurred in approximately 2% of cases. The average gain in width was around 3 mm. Conclusion: This technique can be employed often and has a very low complication rate.