Immediate implant placement and provisionalization--two case reports

Endosseous dental implants have traditionally been placed using a two-stage surgical procedure with a 6- to 12-month healing period following tooth extraction. In order to decrease healing time, protocols were introduced that included immediate implant placement and provisionalization following tooth extraction. Although survival rates for this technique are high, postoperative gingival shrinkage and bone resorption in the aesthetic zone are potential limitations. The two case reports described herein present a surgical technique for the preservation of anterior aesthetics that combines minimally invasive extraction, immediate implant placement, provisionalization, and the use of implants with a laser micro-grooved coronal design.