Treatment classifications and sequencing for postextraction implant therapy: a review.

Dental implantology has become an acceptable and effective treatment modality for totally and partially edentate alveolar arches. When teeth are extracted due to pathology or trauma, bone and soft tissue resorption often occurs. Either an immediate implant placement must be performed or a more traditional treatment plan must be determined; teeth for extraction or incorporation into the overall treatment scheme must also be selected. Selection of the implant site must reflect the mesiodistal, buccolingual, and apicocoronal dimensions. The responsibility of the implant team is to establish a correct diagnosis, evaluate clinical parameters, and design a comprehensive treatment plan, selecting the optimal time for implant placement. The learning objective of this article is to review three classifications of extraction sites and the time sequences of surgical protocols to implant placement following extraction.