Discuss Implants Too Close To Tooth Research

Research
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A recent post Implant placed too close to tooth garnered alot of activity, so we decided to use our OsseoNews AI to research this topic.

The AI responses provided includes several studies related to dental implants and their proximity to adjacent teeth. Here’s a summary of the AI findings relevant to implants being close to a tooth:

  1. Implant Proximity and Complications: One study found that implant-tooth root proximity or direct contact can lead to complications such as devitalization of the adjacent tooth and peri-implantitis. It suggests that proactive prevention with surgical stents and intra-operative radiographs is necessary, and repositioning of the implant is recommended if proximity is detected during surgery. A retrospective study highlighted a relatively high rate of complications in teeth adjacent to dental implants, with secondary caries being the most common issue. Proper implant positioning is essential to avoid these complications.

  2. Survival Rates and Complications: Another study indicated that implants placed too close to adjacent teeth did not significantly affect implant survival rates, but could lead to complications. The study evaluated 111 malpositioned implants and found that while 3.6% of implants failed, all failures were in the category where the implant cut into the roots of adjacent teeth. This suggests that placing implants too close to adjacent teeth can lead to complications such as unnecessary root canal treatments or extractions, particularly when the adjacent teeth are already malpositioned or have dilacerated roots.

  3. Distance Recommendations: Research suggests that the ideal distance from the base of the contact point to the bone crest between adjacent implants is 3 mm, and between a tooth and an implant, it should be 3 mm to 5 mm. The lateral spacing should ideally be 3 mm to 4 mm.

  4. Bone Loss and Implant Failure: A study concluded that the proximity of a plateau root-form implant to an adjacent tooth did not cause damage or lead to bone loss or implant failure, although extraction of an adjacent tooth was associated with increased peri-implant bone loss.

In summary, while placing implants too close to natural teeth can lead to complications, the survival rates of the implants themselves may not be significantly affected. However, careful consideration of the distances involved is essential to avoid adverse outcomes for both the implants and adjacent teeth.

References