What is the impact on the alveolar ridge of the extraction socket during immediate implant placement in the anterior region?

  With the mature development of oral implant technology, the reliance on implant-osteointegration to evaluate the success of implant treatment has become history. In recent years, as patients not only expect the implant restoration to function in the long term, but also want it to be aesthetically pleasing, especially in the exposed areas of the mouth when smiling. This is because the aesthetic treatment of soft tissues around implants is gradually becoming a hot topic of clinical research. In this paper, we describe the influence of the alveolar ridge and the labial bone wall of the extraction socket on the fullness of the gingival tissue between the implant and the natural tooth in the aesthetic area of the anterior teeth during immediate implant placement.   Immediate implants have been widely used in clinical practice because they effectively prevent the resorption of the alveolar crest and preserve the height and width of the alveolar crest; and they shorten the treatment time by eliminating the need to wait for the extraction wound to heal. Due to the resorption of the alveolar crest and the secondary recession of the carious papilla during the healing process of the extraction sockets, the aesthetic effect of the implant will be affected; therefore, the integrity of the alveolar crest and the labial bone wall of the extraction sockets during the extraction process of the affected teeth is particularly important in the immediate implantation.  Dental implants are undoubtedly the best restoration method for modern tooth loss. The rapid resorption of the alveolar bone in the early stages of tooth loss, which affects the delayed implant restoration, as well as the psychological and social burden of the long implant-prosthetic treatment cycle for the implant patient, make more and more implantologists and patients prefer the immediate implant technique. However, the series of changes that occur in the alveolar socket after extraction can have an impact on the aesthetic outcome of the implant restoration and may even determine the treatment plan and final outcome of the implant surgery and restoration.  The main factors that influence the aesthetic assessment include the height of the labial line, the different gingival biotypes, and the height of the adjacent alveolar ridge. When restoring a single missing tooth, the ability of the interdental papilla to be supported is related to the height of the adjacent alveolar ridge. Therefore, the presence of the interdental papilla, the aesthetic result, and even the shape of the restoration (especially the position and extent of the contact points) depend on the height of the adjacent alveolar ridge at the implant site. If there is a significant loss of the adjacent alveolar ridge, the likelihood of a defect (black triangle) between the correctly shaped restoration and the adjacent teeth increases; and the regeneration of the alveolar bone on the root surface of an extracted tooth or root that has been infected is unpredictable, as is the likelihood of success with the current treatment modalities. In gaps where multiple teeth are missing in succession, there is usually a lack of horizontal and vertical bone volume, which reduces the predictability of soft tissue closure between implants and increases the risk of affecting the aesthetic outcome. Therefore, it is considered that the height of the adjacent alveolar cliff is precisely the key factor to support the natural teeth and the heel papilla of the implant restoration, so that the intervention of the extraction socket at the same time as the extraction, instead of the tissue augmentation after the extraction socket has healed, can create favorable conditions for obtaining the desired aesthetic implant restoration results.  The resorption process of the labial bone arm: The thin labial bone plate resorbs very rapidly, which causes the remaining alveolar ridge to deviate palatally. In fact, the remaining alveolar ridge is only the palatal bone plate of the original alveolar fossa. The subsequent vertical resorption of the alveolar ridge increases the intermaxillary distance and leads to a significant loss of soft tissue.  When the minimally invasive extraction jaw is inserted into the periodontal space of the affected tooth, the blade end is gently inserted into the alveolar socket using continuous light wedge force and rotational movements, cutting the periodontal ligament and compressing the socket, carefully jawing the affected tooth loose and slowly extracting it (do not injure the height of the alveolar ridge). Then, the residual tissue was thoroughly removed with a small scraper and the extraction socket was treated with saline rinse; an H-shaped incision was made at the top of the alveolar ridge and the mucoperiosteal flap was carefully separated to observe the integrity of the buccal bone plate and its thickness. If the bone plate remains intact and the thickness is greater than 1 mm, the implant socket can be prepared and implants can be placed in accordance with the normal implant procedure step by step. In the case of a flame-shell gap between the implant and the extraction socket, the GBR technique is recommended to increase the width of the implant site, but it is difficult to anticipate the effect of vertical bone augmentation.  The current consensus is that the process of hard and soft tissue reestablishment after immediate implant placement is unpredictable. Early studies have confirmed that after natural healing of the extraction wound, there is new bone formation in the extraction socket and the surface of the wound is covered by soft tissue; there is partial bone filling of the extraction socket, as well as a change in the external morphology.