Sillim-dong Dental Clinic - If I already have an implant, is orthodontic treatment still possible?

Hello, I am Kang Dong-ho, the chief dentist at Yonsei Uline Dental Clinic Sillim Branch, located right in front of Exit 7 of Sillim Station in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu.

Among those who visit a dental clinic in Sillim-dong, or a clinic that can treat multiple departments at the same time, there are many people who ask whether orthodontic treatment is possible even after already having an implant.

To get straight to the point, in some cases it is possible, and in others it is not.

Because an implant is firmly fixed in the jawbone, it does not move like a natural tooth. In other words, if an implant is already placed, orthodontic movement of that tooth itself is difficult.

That is why the treatment order—when to place the implant and when to do orthodontic treatment—is very important. In general, the most ideal approach is to do orthodontic treatment first and place the implant afterward.

This is because after the tooth alignment and bite are accurately adjusted through orthodontics, placing the implant in that space allows the position and shape of the prosthetic to be natural and functionally stable.

However, there are also cases where implant treatment and orthodontics need to be carried out together. For example, if there are almost no molars left and the biting force is unstable during orthodontic treatment, some implants may be placed first to serve as a “support.”

In this way, the bite remains stable even during orthodontic treatment, and after the orthodontic treatment is finished, the final prosthetic is placed on top of that implant to complete the process.

On the other hand, there are also cases where orthodontic treatment is started after an implant has already been placed. This is when an old implant prosthetic does not match tooth movement and the bite has become misaligned.

In such cases, rather than removing the entire implant, a common approach is to remake only the upper prosthetic part, meaning the crown, and adjust it to match the corrected tooth position. This is often called implant position prosthetic adjustment.

Ultimately, the key is the harmony between where the implant is placed and the tooth alignment.

It is necessary to accurately understand how the fixed implant affects the orthodontic plan, and if needed, the process of making a temporary prosthetic to simulate the expected position is essential.

To summarize,

Before orthodontic treatment → align the teeth first, then place the implant During orthodontic treatment → use a temporary implant as support After orthodontic treatment → adjust or remake the existing implant prosthetic

Because both implant treatment and orthodontics are highly advanced procedures, when considering both together, it is most important to set the treatment order and plan at a dental clinic with precise diagnostic equipment and extensive clinical experience.