Immediately placed front tooth implants 1. Analysis with cone beam computed tomography after remodelling of the buccal plate

Abstract

In the period 1 January 2008 to 1 January 2012, an implant was installed in 186 patients immediately after the removal of a maxillary incisor. Subsequent to the placement of the implant, the 2 mm gap between implant and buccal plate was filled with a bone substitute. In the case of 16 patients, in addition to a preoperative and immediately postoperative cone beam computer tomogram, a late-postoperative cone beam computer tomogram was also produced.Immediately post-operative, the buccal plate thickness increased by 1.5 mmfrom 0.9 mm to 2.4 mm. During the evaluation period of 1 to 4 years a reduction took place resulting in a final buccal plate thickness of 1.8 mm on average. Surprisingly, the buccal plate bone height increased by 1.6 mm, to an average of 1.2 mm above the implant shoulder. It was crucial in this case that the implant was placed in such a way that a gap of a minimum of 2.0 mm was created between the original buccal plate and the implant, and that this gap was filled with a bone substitute.