Hard-tissue augmentation for the placement of anterior dental implants

Dental implants have become a popular alternative for replacing missing teeth in every region of the oral cavity. In the anterior zone, special esthetic concerns require not only a stably anchored implant for long-term success, but also the presence of adequate hard and soft peri-implant tissues. Anterior tooth loss is often accompanied by considerable loss of alveolar bone, so augmenting hard tissue before or in combination with implant placement becomes a critical part of therapy. One of the most successful augmentation techniques is guided bone regeneration (GBR). Thus far, augmentation procedures using expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membranes (ePTFEa) have proved to be the most efficient and predictable surgical technique to enhance deficient bone sites. This article discusses some critical biological and clinical/technical aspects of GBR and describes techniques for anterior hard-tissue augmentation with the photographic documentations of three clinical cases.