Implant rehabilitation of canines in case of bilaterally missing maxillary lateral incisors.

This article reports the successful treatment of a patient with a malocclusion and missing maxillary lateral incisors with an unusual implant-prosthetic rehabilitation in place of the canines. A man, 25 years 5 months of age, was referred by his general dentist with the chief complaint of retained maxillary deciduous canines. He had a skeletal Class I and an Angle Class I malocclusion with an open-bite tendency and prolonged retention of both deciduous canines. The malocclusion was treated with extraction of the maxillary deciduous canines, a fixed edgewise appliance, and implant-prosthesis rehabilitation in place of the canines. A functional and an esthetic occlusion was achieved.