Implants in Sockets: Healed vs Fresh?
Following tooth extraction, there is an inevitable remodeling process that can influence subsequent implant therapy. Several studies indicate that implants placed at the time of extraction have high success rates. But, are the success rates higher for fresh sockets or for those inserted in healed sockets? A recent study1, tackled this question, by measuring implant stability quotient (ISQ) values at three different time points after surgical procedures.
The conclusion:
The stabilities of the implants placed in the fresh sockets and in healed sites exhibited similar evolutions in ISQ values and thus osseointegration; however, the implants in the healed alveolar sites exhibited superior values at all time points.
In your practical experience do you think that implants placed into fresh sockets are more at risk for failure than implants placed in more mature bone? Has your treatment philosophy altered over time, based on the evidence? What do you feel now is the optimum treatment plan?
1.Stability of implants placed in fresh sockets versus healed alveolar sites: Early findings., Clin Oral Implants Res. 2016 May;27(5):577-82. Gehrke SA, et al.