Can dental implants be used in conjunction with the bone and gum tissue preservation technique?
Today, instead of replacing missing teeth with conventional fixed or removable prostheses dental implant supported restorations are often considered as superior alternatives. Depending on the condition of the remaining extraction socket, an implant may be placed immediately into the extraction socket following tooth removal or may be placed three or four months later. In either case, preserving the surrounding bone and soft tissue with placement of a graft and resorbable collagen membrane can be performed in a manner similar to the procedure used with conventional fixed or removable tooth replacements. When a dental implant is placed into the extraction socket immediately following tooth removal, the graft material is carefully packed between the metal implant and the inner socket walls. In this position the graft helps support bone growth needed to stabilize the dental implant, while at the same time helping to preserve the surrounding bone and gum tissue.
