The extracted tooth pontic--provisional replacement during bone graft and implant healing.

When tooth extraction is required, a provisional restoration may be utilized as an interim prosthesis during bone graft and implant healing. The selection of provisional replacement of the anterior teeth following extraction may have a direct influence on the success of the definitive tooth replacement. This article describes a technique for using the extracted tooth or a denture tooth as an interim prosthesis during bone graft and implant healing. This method of provisionalization offers several advantages, including no adjacent tooth preparation, natural appearance, and retention of the papillae.