An update on implant placement and provisionalization in extraction, edentulous, and sinus-grafted sites. A clinical report on 3200 sites over 8 years.

Provisionalization of dental implants at placement has become more prominent in the field of implantology over the past several years, especially in the esthetic zone. The benefits of this treatment option include immediate tooth replacement, formation and maintenance of esthetic soft-tissue contours, containment for bone-grafting and tissue-regenerative procedures, and an improved sense of the patient's perception of the implant process. The blending together of the surgical and prosthetic/esthetic phase has never been more important as implant systems, abutment options, and surgical techniques have helped optimize procedures that can be accomplished at the surgical visit. This article reviews the guidelines for surgical success first described by the author in 2003 and expands upon those results. This article highlights the results of more than 3200 immediately restored implants placed in edentulous, fresh extraction sockets, and sinus-grafted sites, over an 8-year period, and presents a case for each area of placement.