Background: Implants placed immediately after tooth extraction have shown high percentages of clinical success. Few studies in the scientific literature have observed the horizontal bone remodeling in the buccal-lingual direction after immediate placement of implants. The aim of this study was to analyze bone healing and coronal bone remodeling around 15 implants placed immediately after tooth removal without the use of guided bone regeneration (GBR) techniques.
Methods: Ten patients received a total of 15 implants placed immediately after removal of 15 single-rooted teeth. All implants were placed within the alveolar confines, limiting, in most cases, small peri-implant bone defects. After implant placement, the distance from the buccal to lingual bone plate was measured. No membranes or filling materials were used. Primary flap closure was performed in all cases.
Results: At second-stage surgery, all peri-implant defects were completely filled and the distance from buccal to lingual bone was measured again. The pattern of bone healing around the neck of immediate implants showed an absence of peri-implant defects and a narrowing of bone crest width in a buccal-lingual direction. The mean distance between buccal bone and lingual bone at the time of implant placement was 10.5 mm (+/- 1.52) and, at second-stage surgery, 6.8 mm (+/- 1.33).
Conclusions: The coronal bone remodeling around immediate implants showed a healing pattern with new bone apposition around the neck of the implants and, at the same time, bone resorption with horizontal width reduction of the bone ridge. The small peri-implant bone defects were completely healed without the use of GBR procedures. An absence of complications during the healing period was also observed, probably due to the absence of barrier membranes and grafting materials.