Anterior Implants Aren't Always the Gold Standard with Dr. Ashley Hoaders

Episode Overview In part two of this two-part series on Dental Digest, host Dr. Melissa Seibert and dual-boarded periodontist/prosthodontist Dr. Ashley Hoders challenge the conventional assumption that implants are always the gold standard in the anterior aesthetic zone . They explore why maxillary laterals and mandibular incisors are biologically hazardous sites for implants, how to choose mechanical over biologic failure, and how root submergence preserves vital bundle bone and papilla architecture .

Guest Information

Guest: Dr. Ashley Hoders, DDS, MS

Credentials & Affiliations: Dual board-certified diplomate and fellow of the American Board of Periodontology and the American Board of Prosthodontics; MS from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio . Clinical researcher with the McGuire Institute, co-creator of Spear Hygiene, visiting faculty at the University of Washington Graduate Periodontics Department, and active member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry .

Key Clinical Takeaways

1. The Fallacy of the Anterior Implant "Gold Standard"

Maxillary lateral incisors and mandibular incisors represent non-strategic implant locations due to narrow space, thin facial bone, and continuous lifetime craniofacial changes .

Natural adjacent teeth and jaws continue to move, erupt, and remodel across a patient's lifespan, whereas ankylosed/osseointegrated implants remain static, causing mismatched incisal edges and uneven gingival zeniths over time .

2. Mechanical Complications vs. Biologic Disasters

Conservative cantilevered or single-retainer resin-bonded bridges achieve a $\approx 98\%$ success rate over 10+ years in properly managed occlusal schemes .

Fixed tooth-supported alternatives fail through mechanical inconvenience (e.g., wing debonding or connector fracture), which is easily repaired .

Implants carry biologic risk: at least 50% of implants exhibit inflammation or peri-implant disease, introducing chronic inflammatory challenges into an avascular environment where treatment is unpredictable .