Are some sites really not good for dental implants?

Although implants can allow for replacement of teeth in many situations, some sites , even after a bone grafting procedure, do not end up having sufficient depth or width to place a predictable implant. Implants come in standard shapes and sizes and sometimes are either too long or too large a diameter to fit in some ridges.

In truth, there are many designs for implants that might work but are not commonly used , that might work in some of these situations. An early design that was employed for thin alveolar ridges was called a blade implant. The dentist made a slot in the bone and the blade implant was tapped into place. These were successfully used for many years but because of a higher failure rate than the cylindrical implant systems currently in vogue, they have fell out of favor.

In my mind, given the desire for many patients with narrow ridges that are challenges to restore with our more modern implant designs , it is time for our dental schools to research alternative techniques and protocols that may allow the placement of more narrow implant designs for "tight spaces". Using different protocols it it quite likely that blade implant systems or some other design will work in sites that most dentist are loathe to place a cylindrical implant system.  These may allow for an implant with a greater surface area in contact with bone than traditional cylindrical designs allow in narrow or shallow sites.