Single implants in the upper incisor region and their relationship to the adjacent teeth - An 8-year follow-up study

The aim of the study uas to find out if implant-supported crowns in the upp er incisor region run the risk of coming into an infraoccluded position lat er in life. Ten adolescents with 15 implant-supported crowns were included in the study. The age of the patients at the implant surgery ranged between 14 and 19 years. They were followed up during an 8-year period. No implant loss was observed. A good or acceptable aesthetic appearance at the last o bservation was found in most subjects. In some of them a change in the vert ical position of the implant-supported crown, resulting in infraocclusion, could be registered, especially in subjects with no incisor contact. Throug hout the follow-up period, only minor loss of marginal bone support was obs erved at the implants. At the teeth adjacent to the implant, a reduction of the marginal bone level was observed in some patients. Of importance to co nsider in single implant therapy is that a fixed chronological age is no gu idance for implant placement, due to a slight continuous eruption of the ad jacent teeth post adolescence. An orthodontic treatment should be performed not only in order to gain space in the implant area, but also to attain go od incisor stability to reduce the risk of infraocclusion of the implant-su pported crown. Furthermore, 3 cases will exemplify that infraocclusion also may occur in patients who had received single implants at adult ages.