Implant placement has become a routine surgical procedure, and good results can be achieved with a high degree of predictability. The most challenging area of treatment continues to be the esthetic zone. The recent trend to reduce treatment time can be beneficial to the esthetic outcome in some cases, but a staged approach that allows adequate healing time between treatment steps is the key to optimal esthetic results in most cases. Because of the variety of treatment options available today, the patient analysis and treatment-planning steps are even more important to the esthetic outcome. New implant designs and implant-abutment connections should reduce or eliminate unfavorable bone remodeling around the implant neck. But is this the key to success? Understanding the limitations of each technique is an essential part of treatment planning. The success of the surgical procedure depends on several important details.

Ueli Grunder, DMD, is a senior lecturer at the University of Zurich. He maintains a private practice in Zollikon-Zurich, Switzerland, and has published numerous papers and lectured nationally and internationally on the surgical and prosthetic aspects of implant dentistry. Dr Grunder is president of the Swiss Society of Oral Implantology and president-elect of the European Academy of Esthetic Dentistry.

© 2007