Socket-Shield Technique With Immediate Implant Placement for Labial Bone Preservation

Dental implants have become a standard treatment in the replacement of missing teeth. After tooth extraction and implant placement, resorption of buccal bundle bone can pose a significant complication with often very negative cosmetic impacts. Remodeling of the labial bone plate after extraction is a common challenge that affects the final esthetic outcome especially in the esthetic zone.

In addition to, marked bone loss in the horizontal plane and vertical height of the socket wall occurs during the first year after extraction, and one third of this total bone loss occurs during the first three months.

As the buccal aspect of the dental implant has great importance, especially in the aesthetic zone, because the buccal bone is very thin especially in the anterior maxilla and its resorption can result in recession of the soft tissue.

It was suggested that following tooth extraction, the blood vessels in periodontium to the thin bone walls are severed, thereby causing facial bone plate resorption. Thus, it can be assumed that retaining a root may alter the occurrence of facial bone resorption. Many studies showed that the retention of the decoronated root, vital or endodontically treated as root submerge technique, can preserve the alveolar bone.

Other studies also proved that the placement of the implant in contact with retained root surface preserved the buccal bone and led to good emergence profile, Hürzeler et al. (2010) were the first to demonstrate the socket-shield technique in a study on one beagle dog. Were Modification of original technique was done by many researchers by preserving the palatal bone and proximal bone. The promising result of this study shows socket shield technique as a feasible alternative treatment option for thin buccal plate region area and periodontally healthy teeth.