Advantages of the root submergence technique for pontic site development in esthetic implant therapy

A single-tooth implant in the esthetic region has good potential for success, but it is still challenging to restore multiple-tooth defects with implant-supported prostheses that resemble the natural dentition. This article suggests a strategy to provide a more predictable protocol for esthetic implant treatment for multiple-tooth defects using the root submergence technique (RST). By maintaining the natural tooth root with the RST a much greater amount of surrounding tissue may be preserved than with the commonly used socket preservation technique, which almost always leads to crestal bone resorption and thus reduction of the height of the interdental papillae and width of the edentulous ridge. RST instead maintains the natural attachment apparatus of the tooth in the pontic site, which in turn allows for complete preservation of the alveolar bone frame and assists in the creation of an esthetic result in adjacent multiple-tooth-replacement cases. In situations with periodontal bone loss, orthodontic extrusion is required to create the underlying bone support for the papilla that is necessary to guarantee predictability.