Dental Implant Treatment with Computer-assisted Surgery for Bilateral Agenesis of Maxillary Lateral Incisors: A Case Report

Abstract

Here, we report a case of dental implant treatment involving computer-assisted surgery for bilateral agenesis of the maxillary lateral incisors. The patient was a 39-year-old woman with the chief complaint of functional and esthetic disturbance due to maxillary and mandibular malocclusion. The treatment plan comprised non-extraction comprehensive orthodontic treatment and prosthodontic treatment for space due to the absence of bilateral maxillary lateral incisors. A preliminary examination revealed that the mesiodistal spaces left by the absent bilateral maxillary lateral incisors were too narrow for implant placement (right, 5.49 mm; left, 5.51 mm). Additional orthodontic treatment increased these spaces to approximately 6 mm, the minimum required for implant placement if risk of damage to the adjacent teeth due to inaccuracies in directionality of drilling is to be avoided. For dental implant treatment with computer-assisted surgery, preoperative planning/simulation was performed using Simplant® ver.12 software and a toothsupported surgical template fabricated using stereolithography. Two narrow-diameter implants were placed in a two-stage procedure. It was confirmed that there was sufficient distance between the implant fixtures and the roots of the adjacent teeth, together with no exposure of alveolar bone. Following a 4-month non-loading period, second-stage surgery and provisional restoration with a temporary screw-retained implant crown were performed. Cement-retained superstructures made of customized zirconia abutment and a zirconia-bonded ceramic crown were fitted as the final restoration. At 5 years after implant surgery, there were no complications, including inflammation of the peri-implant soft tissue and resorption of peri-implant bone. Computer-assisted implant surgery is useful in avoiding complications in bilateral agenesis of the maxillary lateral incisors when only a narrow mesiodistal space is available for implant placement.