Immediate function of Brånemark implants in the esthetic zone: a retrospective clinical study with 6 months to 4 years of follow-up.

BACKGROUND Immediate implant function is a psychological benefit for the patient and makes a substantial reduction in treatment cost possible. Currently, immediate function using Brånemark implants has become an accepted alternative for complete-arch fixed restorations in mandibles and for overdenture support for some other screw-shaped implants. Clinical documentation is lacking for other applications. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate a concept for immediate function of Brånemark implants supporting fixed prosthesis in the esthetic regions of the jaws. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective clinical study included 49 consecutively treated patients with 94 implants supporting 54 fixed prostheses, all in esthetically critical regions: 23 of the prostheses were bridges, 14 in maxillae and 9 in mandibles; 31 of the prostheses were crowns, 22 in maxillae and 9 in mandibles. At surgery, the implant platform was positioned above the surrounding bone level and bicortical anchorage was the goal whenever possible. The minimum insertion torque for accepting the implant for immediate function was 32 Ncm. Provisional implant-supported prostheses without occlusal contacts were delivered at time of surgery, and final prostheses with normal occlusion were delivered 5 months later. RESULTS Eighty-five of the implants (90%) have passed the 1-year and 40 (43%) the 2-year follow-ups, respectively. Two implants failed in one patient before the 6-month follow-up, and another two implants between the 6-month and the 1-year follow-up, in two other patients, giving a cumulative survival rate of 96%. The average bone resorption was 0.8 mm after the first year as evaluated from 35 patients with readable radiographs. The failed implants were replaced after 3 to 4 months with immediate function; these were successful in all cases (not included in this study). The number of complications was small and did not differ in character from those normally encountered at implant treatment using a conventional protocol. CONCLUSIONS The cumulative survival rate of 96% at 1 and 2 years indicates that immediate function of Brånemark implants used in the esthetic zone in both jaws can be a viable concept. All failures occurred in fresh extraction sites, and extra care is recommended to avoid situations with ongoing inflammation in these situations.