At the time of exraction, the buccal surface is the most affected part of the bone that tends to reabsorb both horizontally and vertically. It is defined as "alveolar preservation", to the procedure that is performed at the time of extraction and allows to preserve dimensions and alveolar contours.
Objective: To analyze the literature of great importance on alveolar preservation, as well as alveolar reabsorption, atraumatic extraction, bone grafting and techniques.
Methods: A search was made in Pubmed, Medline y EBSCO databases. The terms "alveolar reabsorption", "atraumatic extraction", "bone graft", "techniques", in combination with the words "alveolar ridge" and "preservation" were used.
Results: Alveolar resorption can be really detrimental at the time of implant placement. Preservation of the vestibular wall during dental extraction can be achieved with an atraumatic technique, a minimally invasive procedure. The use of bone grafts is of great help at the time of alveolar preservation. It will totally depend on the case to be treated which technique is most appropriate for the increase of volume of the edentulous area, so the case has to be evaluated and diagnosed in an integral manner.
Conclusion: The preservation of the alveolar bridge has proven to be an excellent alternative in periodontal therapy which has shown favorable results to allow a good future restoration.