Upper Lateral Incisor

The Story:

This patient came to us with complaints of chronic pain with her upper left incisor. The tooth had been previously treated with root canal but she experienced continued pain and occasional swelling. After examination and X-ray evaluation, tooth #10 (upper left lateral incisor) was noted to have an abscess with resorption of roots and minor bone loss. The tooth was clearly quite unhealthy and could not be restored. The plan was to extract the tooth and replace it with an immediate dental implant. The main challenge was to preserve the gum tissue line and avoid any remodeling that could lead to cosmetic problems.

Treatment:

Dr Kazemi first extracted the upper lateral incisor. The extraction site was then cleaned and noted to have good bony architecture. Dr. Kazemi placed an immediate implant (placed at time of extraction) and then placed some minor bone grafting to keep the bone and gum tissue line stable. Patient used a temporary flipper as transition while the site healed for about 6 months. The healing time for an implant is usually about three months however six months was required because of the bone grafting.

Next Dr. Kazemi exposed the dental implant and referred the patient back to her restorative dentist to make a temporary crown on the implant. This temporary crown was maintained for about three months to allow full maturation and healing of the gum tissue. The final crown was made with great ceramic details to resemble the adjacent teeth and create a natural look.

Photo Gallery

The keys to our success:

  • Team approach by an oral surgeon and the restorative dentist, each specialized in dental implants
  • Immediate implant placement
  • Bone graft to build missing tissue and keep the gum tissue well supported and aligned.
  • Precisely positioned dental implant
  • A great temporary crown to form the proper gum tissue form
  • Great ceramic work and details in the final crown to make it look natural