ABSTRACT
Immediate implant placement following tooth extraction in appropriately selected cases has been considered to be the optimal time for the procedure for the following reasons: The natural healing processes are mobilized to the maximum, no bone resorption has taken place as yet, drilling is avoided, the number of surgical stages are reduced, design and construction of the prosthesis is simplified, and the positive psychologic effect on the patient is immediate. The learning objective of this article is to discuss the results of immediate implant placement and guided osseous regeneration with membranes, as reported in the literature and as observed in the clinical practice by the authors. The findings of animal and human studies are presented, and the observations of the authors are compared with observations reported in the literature.
