Wide-diameter implants: New concepts

At the end of the 1980s, it was suggested that wide-diameter implants be us ed to better the prognosis in cases in which the condition of the supportin g bone is unfavorable. Technical improvements associated with different sha pes and materials used for implants have led to an evolution of our concept s of surgical and prosthetic treatments. The aim of these new suggestions i s to optimize the functional and esthetic result while respecting the funda mental principles of osseointegration. Up to the present time, very few stu dies have been published on wide-diameter implants. However, the short- and medium-term results that have been reported have been very satisfactory.