Given the ongoing and progressive bone resorption after tooth extraction, the alveolar ridge will demonstrate certain loss in height and width, thus affecting the successful placement and osseointegration of dental implants. Moreover, these changes can lead to a serious aesthetic problem. Socket preservation is a reliable way to prevent and reduce bone loss by filling bone grafts or suitable bone substitute materials into the extraction socket. However, the bone grafts will easily leak if the defect was not closed by a free gum tissue, which is the gold standard of flap transfer. Both materials from autologous gums may cause a secondary wound. The use of collagen, high-density polytetrafluoroethylene(dPTFE), or other membranes may address the above mentioned problem and reduce patients’ discomfort, but the application of biomembranes still needs to be discussed. Therefore, this article reviews the application of biomembranes in socket preservation, as well as other methods that do not require biomembranes to provide a reference for clinical operations.
