Re-establishment of adequate osseous volume in an atrophic anterior mandible

The anterior mandible is primarily characterized as having an osseous density of D1-D2. The anterior mandible differs from the posterior mandible and even more so from the anterior and the posterior maxillae. This chapter describes various procedures from flapless to extensive 3-dimensional approaches, as well as how to tackle and rehabilitate previous failures. The flapless approach had a stable non-resorptive pattern during implant placement procedures compared to a mean of 0.5 mm crestal bone loss when a mucoperiosteal flap was formed. The efficacy of combining implant placement and lateral guided bone regeneration (GBR), was proven to be comparable to the 2-stage procedure. One systematic review provided evidence that dehiscence and fenestrations can be treated successfully with GBR at the time of implant placement. Three-dimensional volumetric changes in a severely resorbed alveolus after ridge augmentation with xenograft particles and a collagen membrane were evaluated in a CBCT imaging study.