The use of attachments and other devices often increase the cost of treatment but do not provide patient satisfaction. Patients who have been treated with distal extension RPD's frequently do not wear the appliances for a variety of reasons. The appliances may also place additional stress on abutment teeth and lead to continued resorption of the bone in the edentulous ridge. As the age of the population continues to increase, it is obvious this condition will continue. Dental implants provide an excellent modality for placing fixed restorations and eliminating the need for a removable distal extension appliance.
Implants can provide a predictable foundation for fixed restorations.
Implant dentistry has reached the status in science and dental treatment as a very predictable procedure. Implants now have a very high success rate that has been documented in the literature. The available bone augmentation procedures and tissue management techniques can provide a predictable foundation for the implants. Long term studies show very high rates of success with endosteal implants. The root form implants used today are osseointegrated which denotes some direct contact of living bone with the surface of the implant.