Maxillary bone growth and implant positioning in a young patient: a case report.

The literature supports the efficacy of osseointegrated implants for partially edentulous patients, but care must be exercised in adolescents with incomplete bone formation. Implants do not follow the normal growth of the jaws, and they behave like ankylosed teeth. They may also interfere with the normal growth of the alveolar process and jeopardize the germs of the adjacent permanent teeth or alter eruption. This case report analyzes the unfavorable clinical and radiographic findings of a single-tooth replacement in a young male over a 15-year period.