Aesthetic and prosthetic principles for single tooth implant procedures: an overview.

Loss of anterior maxillary teeth always results in bone resorption and loss of interdental papillae, making a single tooth replacement by an implant very difficult. When infections have been present and previous surgery at the apex of the root has taken place, bone destruction is substantial, increasing the resorption defect and aesthetic and prosthetic problems. The learning objective of this article is to describe the steps necessary for implant surgery and prosthetics. It includes bone regeneration procedures, implant placement, second stage surgery, reconstruction of interdental papillae, abutment selection, and the various prosthetic procedures. Several cases are used to illustrate.