Forced eruption and implant site development: an osteophysiologic response

Before selected hopeless teeth were extracted, the authors orthodontically erupted these teeth to augment the three-dimensional topography of future implant recipient sites. This controlled "biodynamic orthodontic modeling" manipulates teeth, with as little as one fourth to one third of their apical attachment intact, by constructively increasing their local osseous dimensions in the vertical plane. Such vertical remodeling, especially of the strategic labial plate and crest, allows a more ideal placement of the implant (within 1 to 3 mm apically, depending on implant type) in relation to the cementoenamel junction of the adjacent dentition. The more coronal the placement of the implant head, without compromising esthetics, the more readily maintainable the peri-implant soft tissue environment is likely to be, because of the potential for decreased sulcular depth.