Implants in the esthetic zone.

To achieve a successful esthetic result and good patient satisfaction,implant placement in the esthetic zone demands a thorough under-standing of anatomic, biologic, surgical, and prosthetic principles. The ability to achieve harmonious, indistinguishable prosthesis from adjacent natural teeth in the esthetic zone is sometimes challenging. Placement of dental implants in the esthetic zone is a technique-sensitive procedure with little room for error. Guidelines are presented for ideal implant positioning and for a variety of therapeutic modalities that can be implemented for addressing different clinical situations involving replacement of missing teeth in the esthetic zone.