Invisalign Before or After Implant?

Great question! Your bone graft will do just fine without placing the implant right away. Aligner therapy orthodontics (Invisalign) is ideal for working around an area of a missing tooth. It is best to do Invisalign before placing the implant because once an implant is placed it cannot be moved so you are forced to move teeth around a fixed "tooth" which could compromise the final results.

Good luck!

Typically all permanent work, including crowns, veneers, implants are done after orthodontic treatment.  Once an implant is placed, it is "set in stone." 

You will not loose much bone in 21 months. If they already did a bone augmentation then you're good to go. THis way they can hold the teeth in place and also make perfect room needed for the implant. Have your dentist add a pontic in that area so while you're wearing the aligners no one can tell the tooth is missing..works great..

Since you are having a "bite correction" you may wish to consider delaying the implant until the orthodontics is finished, or nearly finished.  This gives your orthodontist maximum flexiblity to create an ideal bite, because an implant is absolutely fixed and cannot be moved at all.  There is no hurry to get the implant as far as bone is concerned, since several months or a year will make little difference in the amount of bone available for the implant.  The above ideas are the same regardless of whether Invisalign or braces are used.  Remember when using Invisalign the computer simulation may not actually show exactly what really happens in your mouth because there are many factors that the Invisalign software cannot model.

Dear Buttercookie:

You can safely place the implant right away before or while you are in Invisalign/orthodontic treatment.

The premise of Invisalign therapy is that one can use a computer model to predict the position of the teeth prior to movement.  This is how the aligners are manufactured.    It is possible to predict the final position of the tooth and place the implant accordingly. 

We use implants in conventional orthodontics (regular braces) all the time.  If the implants are placed in the predicted, desired position, after proper, careful planning,  the orthodontist can actually rely on them for the movement and the process happens much faster.   I do recommend fabricating the final restoration after the Invisalign treatment is finalized, yet prior to delivery of the retainers.

Consider contacting a surgically trained Prosthodontist (the specialist in restorative/cosmetic/implant dentistry) for this work, since it is the most qualified person in this field.  Since the Prosthodontist is the restorative expert, he/she will be able to place the implant in the most optimal position,  so that the final crown is properly fabricated.   You can easily locate a Prosthodontist near you on the internet.

Best of luck with your treatment,

heading says invisalign but question says braces....either way I think something should be done now.  If the teeth around and occluding with the implant supported tooth are not going to be moved at all then go ahead and get the implant and crown placed now.  If there is any question about the final position of the teeth around this area then have the dentist place a temporary crown on the implant until the ortho is done

Hi Buttercookie!

Generally it is preferable to complete the orthodontics (Invisalign/Braces) before the implant is placed.  But this really depends on how much tooth movement is expected on either side of the extraction site. 

If there will be only minimal movement of the adjacent teeth it might be very possible to place the implant, move the teeth then restore the implant after ortho is completed.

You should ask with your general dentist who should be coordinating your treatment with the specialists (orthodontist, oral surgeon... etc.) whether or not you can have the treatment done concurrently.

Best,

Dr. Alper

While there is a risk to not placing an implant soon after an extraction, the risk is associated with waiting a very long time.  Normally, the amount of time for orthodontics is not enough to worry.

Doing ortho before the implant allows one to set up the ideal amount of space for the implant.  However, sometimes it helps to have an implant in place to help with the orthodontics, so it is not a hard rule.