Implants for orthodontic patients with missing anterior teeth: Placement in growing patients—Immediate loading

There is a marked increase in the importance of facial esthetics. This means that interdisciplinary treatment plans are an important strategy for achieving pleasing facial appearance with dental treatment. Over the decades, missing anterior teeth have been a challenge for clinicians and replacing them with an implant in children and adolescents was questionable. One concern was that an implant might influence the growth of the alveolar ridge, which could compromise facial esthetics in the long run since the positioning of the implant within the alveolar ridge plays a key role in the esthetic outcome. Another concern was the long-term effects of immediate loading of orthodontic force on implants. The short-term effects have been evaluated but not the long-term implications. This article summarizes a discussion about the effects of implants to restore missing anterior teeth in growing patients and the effect of the immediate application of orthodontic forces on newly placed implants.