Are There Alternatives to Invasive Site Development for Dental Implants? Part I.

Edentulous sites are often characterized by inadequate bone volume for dental implant therapy. Bone augmentation procedures for site development involve longer healing period and are often invasive, costly, and associated with postoperative morbidity. This article discusses alternatives to invasive bone grafting procedures that are often used to develop implant sites. Owing to the broad nature of this topic, it is presented in two articles. In part I, the use of short and narrow-diameter implants are discussed. Part II reviews the use of tilted as well as fewer implants to support a prosthesis.