Chaudhary H et al.

: Immediate Loading Implants REVIEW ARTICLE

Immediate Loading Implants - A paradigm shift:

A review
Himani Chaudhary1, Cecil Williams2, Jyoti Beniwal3, Parth Barot4

1,3-Post Graduate Student, Department Of Prosthodontics, Daswani Dental College Correspondence to:
And Research Centre, Kota, Rajasthan. 2-Professor And Head Of Department, Dr. Himani Chaudhary, Post Graduate Student,
Department Of Prosthodontics, Daswani Dental College And Research Centre, Kota, Department Of Prosthodontics, Daswani Dental College
Rajasthan. 4-Post Graduate Student, Department Of Pedodontics, Daswani Dental And Research Centre, Kota, Rajasthan.
College And Research Centre, Kota, Rajasthan. Contact Us: www.ijohmr.com

ABSTRACT
There is a growing trend in implant dentistry to decrease the treatment times associated with implant therapy. This can
be achieved with immediate occlusal loading protocol. Immediate loading (IL) of dental implants is an eminent and
acknowledged treatment strategy which is extensively being used for the rehabilitation of missing teeth. IL may be
described as functional loading (With occlusal contacts) immediately after implantation (or within 3–4 days after
surgery) without waiting for the healing period. IL has gained popularity nowadays as it includes less possible trauma to
the tissues, overall treatment time is decreased, reduced patient‘s discomfort and anxiety , better patient acceptance
and good function and aesthetics.
KEYWORDS: Immediate loading (IL) impants, Rehabilitation, Osseointegration
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INTRODUCTION
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experimentally ascertained.7 Nowadays, with the ever

The introduction of osseointegrated implants has increasing demand for esthetics, the interim period of
revolutionized the art and science of modern dentistry edentulousness even after implant placement can cause
giving a new lease of life to the restorative aspects in day- psychological, social or functional problems especially if
to-day practice.1 The healing of dental implants in the the edentulous area is in appearance region.10
jawbone is based on the principle of osseointegration 2,3 Furthermore, the discomfort, inconvenience, and anxiety
which includes a healing period of several months and associated with such a long waiting period remain a
was based on acquiring direct bone-to-implant contact challenge to both the patients and clinicians.11 In the
(BIC) and must be proved by means of histologic scientific literature it has been reported that root-form
analysis.4 Thereby, predictable formationof a direct bone- implants may osseointegrate, even though the implants
toimplant interface is a treatment goal in implant extend above the bone and through the soft tissues during
dentistry.5 Osseointegrated dental implants are placed early bone remodeling.12-15 This surgical approach has
traditionally, following a two-stage protocol. The 2-stage been termed as a 1-stage or nonsubmerged implant
surgical protocol established by Branemark et al6 includes procedure since it discards the need for second-stage
(1) positioning and placement of the implant below the implant uncovery surgery. Thereby, eliminates the
crestal bone to allow for stress healing without loading, discomfort, inconvenience, and appointments of the
(2) a soft-tissue covering over the implant to be obtained surgery and suture removal. Consequently, immediate
and maintained for 3 to 6 months, and (3) a minimally loading of dental implants was introduced to achieve
loaded implant environment to be maintained for 3 to 6 triumph over original Branemark protocol.16 Immediate
months. After this procedure, a second-stage surgery was loading implant has been defined as an ―implant that
necessary to uncover these implants and place a carries a prosthetic superstructure which makes occlusal
prosthetic abutment.5 Hence, according to the Brånemark contact within the first 1 or 2 days after placement‖.12 It
protocol, dental implants, regardless of their design or can also be described as a situation where the
system, an undisturbed healing period of three months is superstructure is attached to the implants no later than
required in the mandible and six months in the maxilla.1 72hr after surgery.17 It not only includes not submerged
While these periods purportedly allowed time for one stage surgery but actually loads the implant without
osseointegration of the implants within the respective compromising osseointegration.5 When the occlusion is
arch,7 but this two stage protocol involved certain re-established within 2 weeks it is called an early loading
disadvantages i.e. it made the implant treatment lengthy. implant but when loading is only allowed after several
In patients who were either completely or partially weeks, it should be called ‗delayed‘ of the loading
edentulous, a long term, clinical rigid fixation had been irrespective of the fact that it is a one stage - or a two-
reported after this protocol.8,9 Furthermore, Brånemark‘s stage procedure.18 Under these conditions, successful
recommendations for healing were based on empirical immediate loading of screw-type dental implants has
data that were never scientifically proven and never been reported as early as 1979.19 Later on, many clinical
How to cite this article:
Chaudhary H, Williams C, Beniwal J, Barot P. Immediate Loading Implants - A paradigm shift: A review. Int J Oral Health Med Res 2017;4(1):76-79.

International Journal of Oral Health and Medical Research | ISSN 2395-7387 | MAY-JUNE 2017 | VOL 4 | ISSUE 1 76
 Chaudhary H et al.: Immediate Loading Implants REVIEW ARTICLE

& experimental studies by Chiapasco et al.20; Schnitman  Immediate loading protocol should be limited to the
et al.21; Tarnow et al.22 had been reported which patients who have the most to gain and least to lose.
acknowledged the patients the prospects of expected Eg. Patients who cannot tolerate a removable
dental rehabilitation. These studies ultimately led to the prosthesis due to social or psychological reasons.
introduction of the concept of immediate loading.12 A key  Patients who cannot wait for 3 months for the
element in immediate occlusal loading protocols involves prosthesis.
eliminating micromovements between implants and
osteotomies.23,24 The ultimate goal of animmediate Other indications described are as follows28 :
loading protocol is to predictably decrease surgical  Poor oral muscular coordination.2. Unrealistic
interventions and to reduce the time gap between surgery patient expectations for complete dentures.3. Patient
and prosthesis completion,25 but without decreasing the psychologically against removable
success rates associated with implant treatment and the prosthesis.4.Single tooth loss; avoid preparation of
unloaded healing protocol.23 sound teeth.
Contraindications The suggested contraindications,in
PRINCIPLE OF IMMEDIATE general, for considerationof an immediate loading
protocol include the following5,12:
LOADING  Chronic smoker.
With the help of the implant whenever a controlled load  If bone volume is not adequate.
is applied to the bone, bone responds by remodelling its  If dentisty of bone is not good (D4).
architecture according to the magnitude and the direction  Parafunctiona; chewing habits (bruxing, clenching,
of the load applied. It has been described by Frost tongue thrust).
mechanostat theory which suggests that bone adapts itself
by different biologic processes: trivial, physiological,
overload and pathological. Remodelling is described as a GUIDELINES FOR IMMEDIATE
simultaneous process of formation and resorption that
replaces previously existing bone, tends toremove or
LOADING IMPLANTS by Tarnow et
conserve bone and is activated by reduced mechanical al22
usage in the trivial loading zone or micro damage in the
pathological loading zone. Main objective of immediately 1. Immediate loading should be attempted in dentulous
loaded implant prosthesis is to reduce the risk of occlusal arches only, to create cross-arch stability
overload and thereby, resulting in increase in the 2. The implants should be at least 10mm long.
remodeling rate of bone. Woven and lamellar are the two 3. A diagnostic wax-up should be used for the template
types of bone forming at the interface. Woven bone is and the provisional restoration fabrication.
produced in response to extraordinary loading condition, 4. A rigid metal casting should be used on the lingual
forming at a rate of more than 60 microns each day and is aspect of the provisional restoration.
found to be less mineralized12 whereas lamellar bone 5. A screw retained provisional restoration should be
forms at a rate of 1-5 microns each day. Thereby, a higher used where possible.
turnover rates lead to higher risks for the bone-implant 6. If cemented, the provisional restoration should not be
interface.26 removed during the 4-6 month healing period.
7. All implants should be evaluated with Periotest at
StageI, and the implants that show the least mobility
INDICATIONS & should be selected for the immediate loading.
CONTRAINDICATIONS 8. The widest possible anterior-posterior distribution of
the implants should be used.
Not every patient or every tooth site is indicated for
theimmediate loading approach. Patients must
understandthe limitations of such treatment and be OCCLUSAL OVERLOAD IN
willing to accept the scientifically based precautionary IMMEDIATE LOADING33
measures. 12 Chief among them is the fact that, in order to
limit the functional forces during osseointegration, Occlusal overload have been found to cause
patients need to abstain from chewing anything but soft implant/implant prosthesis failure and peri-implant bone
food or otherwise applyingforce to the restoration for loss and/or loss of osseointegration. The main principles
approximately 3 months.27 of implant occlusion have been derived from occlusal
principles in tooth restoration.
Indications5, 12, 28:
 Completely edentulous jaw. Three occlusal concepts (balanced, group function and
 Partially edentulous jaw. mutually protected occlusion) have been successfully
 Patients with missing dentition requiring long span accepted nowadays with certain modifications for
fixed partial denture . implant-supported prostheses. All of the concepts may
 Patient who are not willing to use a removable type have maximum intercuspation (MIP) during habitual
prosthesis. and/or centric occlusion.

International Journal of Oral Health and Medical Research | ISSN 2395-7387 | MAY-JUNE 2017 | VOL 4 | ISSUE 1 77
 Chaudhary H et al.: Immediate Loading Implants REVIEW ARTICLE

Possible Overloading Factors: situations where quality of bone is poor, multiple

 Overextended cantilever- implants or augmentation procedures exist, must be
415mm in the mandible (Shackleton et al. 1994) overcome.1
410–12mm in the maxilla (Rangert et al. 1989;
Taylor 1991) CONCLUSION
 Parafunctional habits/Heavy bite force The last decade has seen a profound shift in implant
 Excessive premature contacts- dentistry from the lengthy healing original protocols to
4180 mm in monkey studies (Miyata et al. 2000) immediate loading has demanded a cognitive revolution.
4100 mm in human (Falk et al. 1990) Immediate loading of a dental implant consists of a
 Large occlusal table nonsubmerged 1-stage surgery in which loading of the
 Steep cusp inclination implant is done with a provisional restoration at the same
 Poor bone density/quality appointment or shortly thereafter. Immediate loading of
 Inadequate number of implants dental implants are proven to reduce the treatment time
and thus increase patient acceptance. Future studies
Basic principles of implant occlusion may include:-
should be conducted to evaluate long-term data of
 occlusion - bilateral stable
immediate restorations on implants and possible
 occlusal contacts and force - evenlydistributed applications of this technique in situations where
 there should be no interferences between centric problems of poor bone quality, multiple implants or
relation and habitual position. augmentation procedures must be overcome.
 smooth, even, lateral excursive movements without
ANY interferences
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Titanium versus Hydroxyapatite- Coated Threaded

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