Vertical Defects in the Esthetic Zone – Prosthetic or Surgical Solutions? – Part 1

Patients with missing teeth in the “esthetic zone” may present with severe hard and soft tissue loss. While many techniques offer excellent results for reconstruction of these defects, few can be said to guarantee success. A bone augmentation procedure to correct a vertical defect in the esthetic zone that is not fully successful in correcting the defect often ensures the use of prosthetic pink. This leads to the treatment dilemma: “If we have to use a little pink, why not use a lot of pink” and spare the patient the painful bone augmentation

in the first place? The aim of this lecture is to critically evaluate the current evidence to determine the predictability of various bone augmentation techniques for vertical ridge defects for implant placement and when to consider more conservative alternative treatment options.

• Discuss the methods for vertical bone augmentation in the anterior maxilla • Understand the limitations of augmentation and implant replacement of
• multiple missing teeth in the esthetic zone
• Discuss surgical approaches to prepare the anterior maxilla for the prosthetic solution to defect management