Front Tooth Implant

A front tooth implant presents a common challenge, especially in the upper jaw. To achieve a beautiful smile, implants must be placed at ideal positions and angulation. If the dental implant is placed in an area of bone defect, it would look bad and would fail. Therefore, the normal form and shape of the bone and gum must be restored first with bone grafts and soft tissue grafts. After evaluation and planning, Dr. Elseweifi in Chicago would customize a surgical and restorative plan for your case.

The bone graft with front tooth implant

Contour of the soft and hard tissue and the front tooth implant position must be exactly similar to adjacent teeth. This is achieved by placing a bone graft before placing the dental implant. Bone types include:

• Cadaver bone
• Autogenous bone harvested from the patient.

Block bone graft for a front tooth implant

A block of bone taken from the chin area of the lower jaw provides sufficient bone bulk to restore natural contour. The block bone graft is thick enough to provide support for soft tissue.

Placing the bone graft & the front tooth implant

1. The bone graft is shaped to fit the bone defect.
2. The graft is fixed in place with screws to prevent graft movement during healing.
3. The screws are removed after four months.
4. A dental implant is placed into the block graft.
5. The implant is uncovered after 10 weeks. A flared healing cap is placed.

How the front tooth implant is restored

1. The healing cap is removed after 8 weeks.
2. A temporary abutment post is placed together with a temporary crown. The temporary crown is left for 3 months to allow proper contouring of soft tissue.
3. A final impression is taken and sent to the lab.
4. A zirconium abutment is fitted, and a porcelain crown is fabricated and cemented to the abutment.

This procedure is lengthy but offers good gingival contour and ideal emergence profile. For a free consultation with Dr. Elseweifi, call our office at 773-276-2757 or click here for an appointment.