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Implants · single question

A patient received an implant at site #8 at age 15. Years later, #9 (a natural tooth) appears 2 mm longer than the implant crown. What happened?

  1. Continued craniofacial/alveolar growth left the ankylosed implant in relative infraocclusion
  2. The implant extruded
  3. The natural tooth intruded
  4. The implant crown wore down
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Continued craniofacial/alveolar growth left the ankylosed implant in relative infraocclusion

  • A. Correct. Implants behave like ankylosed teeth and do not move with growth; ongoing jaw/alveolar growth and eruption of adjacent natural teeth leave the implant progressively submerged (infraoccluded).
  • B. Implants are osseointegrated and do not 'extrude.'
  • C. The adjacent natural tooth continued to erupt with growth—it did not intrude.
  • D. Crown wear would not selectively make the adjacent natural tooth appear 2 mm longer.

Note: Key reason placing implants in growing patients is avoided.

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