title: Aesthetic enhancement of anterior dental implants with the use of tapered osteotomes and soft tissue manipulation.
abstract: An adequate bone base is usually a prerequisite for functionally and aesthetically optimal reconstruction of the soft tissue architecture around a dental implant. In patients with sufficient bone height but insufficient bone width as a result of tooth loss, a jaw enlargement technique with osteotomes combined with soft tissue manipulation may be utilized to facilitate proper implant placement while concomitantly optimizing the aesthetics of the final implant prosthesis. The learning objective of this article is to familiarize the reader with the principles of ridge expansion with tapered osteotomes combined with periodontal plastic soft tissue surgery to aid in proper implant placement and enhance the aesthetic result of the final prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, USA.
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Silverstein
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Kurtzman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moskowitz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kurtzman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hahn
mesh_terms: D000540:Alveolar Ridge Augmentation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods; D003762:Dental Instruments; D005881:Gingiva / Q000637:transplantation; D005893:Gingivoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor; D008437:Maxilla / Q000601:surgery; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013524:Surgical Flaps