NEW DIRECTIONS IN SURGICAL ENDODONTICS - IMMEDIATE IMPLANTATION INTO AN EXTRACTION SOCKET

Endodontic surgical procedures may reveal compromising factors that in dicate a modification of the treatment (e.g. tooth extraction, root am putation, etc.). To take advantage of the osseous height and width, as well as the natural tooth angulation, immediate placement of implants after extraction is a reasonable alternative treatment. In this study , 32 titanium alloy implants were inserted immediately after extractio n of teeth diagnosed during endodontic surgery as having root fracture s, perforations, or endodontic-periodontal complications. After 4 to 6 months of osseointegration, only one implant failed to integrate, and the remaining implants were prosthetically restored. Sixteen months a fter occlusal loading, bone loss was similar to 1.5 mm for the 31 impl ants remaining. It seems that the immediate placement of implants foll owing tooth extraction due to endodontic complications is a reliable p rocedure.