Biomechanical advantages of wide-diameter implants.

In implant cases in which bone quantity and interdental space are sufficient, wide-diameter implants may be preferable to standard-size implants in restoring the partially edentulous patient. Although wide-diameter implants are often considered for their esthetic possibilities, they can also offer important biomechanical advantages, particularly in reducing the magnitude of stress delivered to various parts of the implant and in improving stability. In this article, standard 3.7-mm- and wide 4.7-mm-diameter implants are compared and discussed.