Immediate Implant Placement and Provisionalization Using the Patient's Extracted Crown: 12-Month Follow-Up

Immediate placement and provisionalization of implants in fresh sockets has been previously demonstrated to be a predictable treatment in the restoration of non-recoverable teeth in the anterior regions of the maxilla.

This article reports a clinical case in which an immediate implant placement protocol was used in combination with two distinct and sequential grafts (bovine bone and connective tissue, respectively) followed by immediate implant provisionalization using the patient's crown of an extracted tooth.

Physical, clinical, and image examinations of the patient (female, 23 years old) revealed a maxillary central incisor (tooth No. 8) with slight mobility due the presence of extensive cervical resorption. The treatment proposed was the atraumatic extraction of the tooth followed by immediate implant placement and provisionalization. Two grafts (bovine bone and connective tissue) were used due to the presence of a very thin maxillary bone plate associated with a thin gingival biotype.

The use of the extracted crown as a temporary crown after immediate implant placement resulted in immediate attainment of an esthetically pleasing outcome and long-term favorable results.

The treatment protocol proposed can be efficiently used to immediately restore the patient's esthetics and function while maintaining the health, volume, and contours of gingival tissues over a 12-month follow-up period.

Anterior teeth extractions typically require the execution of single-unit prostheses using dental materials of synthetic origin (such as polymers), which often are incapable of achieving the esthetic and physiological results patients expect. The use of the patient's own crown was demonstrated, which allowed good clinical results to be achieved and the natural shape and function of tissues to be maintained.