Possible Complications With Implant Site Development Utilizing Orthodontic Extrusion: Three Case Reports.

Orthodontic extrusion or forced eruption has been a treatment modality used to improve future implant sites. A controlled force exerted on a tooth in a coronal direction can enhance both soft-and hard-tissue dimensions of implant recipient sites. However, this seemingly simple and effective treatment may, in fact, result in the loss of bone rather than gain if orthodontic mechanics are used improperly. Such unfavorable outcomes have been discussed in the literature along with various proposed techniques to overcome these poor results. This article is intended to evaluate these techniques and their results by elucidating possible reasons for complications in orthodontic extrusion cases. Also, mechanical aspects of orthodontic extrusion, such as various methods of bracket positioning and wire usage, will be discussed through a report of three clinical cases.