What are Cavitations?
A cavitation is a hole in the bone, usually where a tooth has been removed and the bone has not filled in properly. When a tooth is being extracted, in what has been normal dental procedure, the surrounding periodontal membrane is usually left behind. Theoretically, when a tooth has been pulled, the body will eventually fill in the space in the bone where the tooth once was. But when the membrane is left behind, an incomplete healing can take place which leaves a hole or a spongy place inside the jaw bone. Experts speculate that perhaps this is because the bone cells on either side sense the presence of the periodontal membrane and “think” that the tooth is still there. A cavitation can form in any bone in the body, not just in the jaw bones. There are also other reasons that cavitations form, some of which are localized traumas, poor circulation to the area, clotting disorders, and the use of steroids. On X-ray of an extracted tooth site, this membrane can form an image that appears t
