Immediate loading of dental implants placed in distracted bone: a case report.

A 40-year-old female patient presented for rehabilitation of an edentulous mandible with endosseous implants. Radiologic examination showed evidence of moderate atrophy in the intraforaminal area and an even more pronounced level of bone resorption in the posterior mandible. The patient desired a fixed rehabilitation with re-establishment of the posterior occlusal plane. From an esthetic standpoint, it was necessary to provide a restoration with crowns the same height as the original teeth while avoiding an unfavorable biomechanical situation. Vertical distraction of the complete mandible was performed using a Martin distractor according to the Hoffmeister technique. At the end of the period of activation and consolidation, the distractor was removed and 8 Frialit-2 Synchro-type implants were placed in predetermined sites and immediately loaded with a cemented transitional prosthesis. Ten months later the definitive restoration was delivered. The absence of any pathologic symptoms or negative radiologic findings 12 months after the surgery suggests a satisfactory result in the short term.