When a dental implant should be placed

Bone tissue needs a certain amount of loading. When teeth are lost, that natural loading disappears. Without the stimulus of chewing forces the bone in the affected sections of the jaw breaks down. Implants, which transfer chewing forces into the jawbone just as natural roots do, prevent this bone loss. Implants should therefore be placed as soon as possible after a tooth is lost. Placing an implant early allows better aesthetic results, because the bone and soft-tissue structures have not yet receded.

When to place the implant

Implantology distinguishes between immediate placement, early (delayed immediate) placement and late placement. Which technique is used is generally determined by the bone morphology at the implant site. The trend is towards immediate and delayed immediate placement, because these are expected to preserve bone and soft-tissue structures.

Immediate placement takes place directly after the tooth is lost, or directly after extraction, in the same session and under the same local anaesthetic. It requires an empty socket (alveolus) free of inflammation.

Early placement can be carried out four to eight weeks after the extraction. The timing depends on how the soft tissue heals. Delayed immediate placement, after the soft tissue has healed completely, can take place three to four months after the extraction.

Late placement is carried out in fully healed bone about six months after extraction.

A genuinely satisfying result requires sufficient bone and soft tissue. The loss of one or more teeth leads to a loss of tissue. To counter this, a gap should be closed as early as possible. In immediate placement, the bone wound left after a tooth is pulled or lost can be filled with the implant together with bone or bone substitute material. The aim is to prevent the bone walls from breaking down as far as possible. Ideally an immediate temporary restoration keeps the soft tissue structure intact and shapes it appropriately.