Natural teeth used as provisionals in immediate implant loading in the maxilla: a case report

The purpose of this article is to describe a clinical case in which the patient's natural teeth were extracted and used as provisionals immediately after the implants had been placed. A 52-year-old woman was treated with implants at the 2 maxillary central incisors using osseotite-tapered certain implants (Biomet 3I Inc., Palm Beach Gardens, FL), length: 15 mm, diameter: 4.1 mm; and the extracted teeth were used as provisionals. After 4 months of using the temporary teeth, the treatment was concluded with the placement of 2 metal-free crowns on the implants and light polymerized resin on teeth 7 and 10. This work showed the possibility of using the patient's extracted teeth as provisional teeth during the period of osseointegration, preserving aesthetics and favoring gingival tissue healing with a correct emergence profile and maintenance of the gingival papillae.