Description

The delivery of care for patients missing one or all of their teeth very often requires implants to restore function, esthetics, hard and soft tissue contours, speech, and intraoral health. The delayed occlusal loading protocol, either 1- or 2-stage approach, has been evaluated for more than 30 years by a number of clinical settings and situations. However, in some patient conditions, the delayed healing process can cause psychological, social, and/or functional problems. A full range of treatment options relative to the initial hard and soft tissue healing is available. Immediate restoration of a patient after implant surgery is one of these alternatives. A benefit/risk ratio must be assessed for each patient condition to ascertain whether immediate occlusal loading is a worthwhile alternative. The greater the benefit and/or the lower the risk, the more likely immediate loading is to be considered. Present book is a very useful tool for the students, practitioners, academicians and all those who are concerned with dental implants as the best choice for a missing dentition.