Cast titanium dental implants for the posterior mandible.
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the evaluation of five patients who received titanium dental implant replicas of extracted molars and pre-molars, placed in the posterior mandible. The replicas were placed in the sockets where the molars and bicuspids had been extracted. The implant replicas were fabricated in two parts, an abutment portion and a root portion connected by a titanium screw. The root portion was made of cast titanium. The abutment portion was made of a high noble metal to which porcelain could be fused, so that the crown restoration could be made directly on the abutment. The patient's ages ranged from 27 to 63 years. Four were male and one was female. The implants were placed three to six weeks after extraction. All implants integrated. The longest follow-up with the implant in function was five years.