Guidelines for Immediate Vs Delayed Dental Implant Placement in the Esthetic Zone

The placement of immediate dental implants in the esthetic zone is a highly successful procedure, however it requires careful case selection. Depending on the structural integrity of the alveolar socket and the gingival level, either an implant can be placed immediately and provisionalized or its insertion may need to be delayed. If the extraction site is compromised, implant placement should be deferred to allow bone or soft-tissue grafting or a combination of both to facilitate esthetic implant placement. In addition, two other treatment factors need to be considered with regard to immediate placement: (1) if the implant has low primary stability (ie, low insertion torque value), a custom healing abutment should be fabricated to maintain tissue contour and retain bone placed into the buccal gap; (2) if there is high primary stability (ie, high insertion torque value), fabrication of an immediate fixed provisional will preserve tissue contour, hold a buccal gap bone graft in place, and provide an esthetic result. At sites where the implant will be placed, factors favoring immediate placement include the following: coronal position of the gingiva compared to adjacent teeth, a type I socket classification, and class I or II sagittal root position. The purpose of this article is to present clinical guidelines that can aid in the decision-making process for delayed versus immediate implant placement.