Esthetic soft-tissue augmentation adjacent to dental implants

Patients and clinicians are becoming increasingly aware of the need to improve dental esthetics. After tooth extraction or trauma, there may be residual hard- or soft-tissue defects. These may be related to deficits in the bone or soft tissue. The evaluation of preoperative study casts, radiographs, and photographic documentation can aid the clinician in determining which types of augmentation are necessary. If adequate bone volume is present, the implants are placed according to protocol. Soft-tissue defects can be significantly reduced by implanting various biomaterials between the inner borders of the flap and surrounding bone. This case series describes patients who were successfully treated for soft-tissue defects with either demineralized freeze-dried bone or bovine bone.