Current status of immediate implant placement in the aesthetic zone of the anterior teeth

The method of placing an implant immediately into the fresh extraction socket at the same time as tooth extraction has the advantages of reducing the number of operations and the overall treatment time, making full use of the existing bone mass, and resulting in ideal aesthetic effects. However, immediate implant placement also has its own inherent shortcomings. Due to the existence of the extraction socket, it is difficult to close the wound; because the size of the implant does not match the size of the extraction socket, it is difficult to achieve good initial stability, and there is a risk of soft tissue recession. This article reviews the success rate, indications and expansion of immediate implant placement, surgical requirements, complications and the prevention and treatment of anterior teeth in the aesthetic area. A literature review showed that the 5-year success rate of immediate implant placement was over 95%. The indications included intact socket walls, a facial bone wall at least 1 mm in thickness, the presence of thick, soft tissue, the absence of acute infection at the site, and the availability of bone apically and lingually to the socket to provide primary stability. In addition, in recent years, with the improvement of surgical implantation technology and the improvement of bone substitute material performance, immediate implant placement can be used as one of the conventional methods for oral implantation treatment, and its indications have shown a trend toward expansion. Immediate implant placement also has complications, including poor placement of implants and gingival receding that results in poor aesthetic outcomes. In addition, immediate restoration and conventional loading protocols after immediate implant appear to have similar outcomes and result in better aesthetic effects. However, the long-term stability and patient satisfaction after immediate implant placement in terms of soft tissue aesthetics require more research.