This session explores the challenges and evolving concepts in implant therapy at molar sites, with a special focus on immediate implant placement and treatment options in the atrophic posterior maxilla. Is immediate molar implant placement realistically feasible 90–95% of the time? Can clinicians truly achieve >99% 10-year success rate whether the implants are placed immediately, in pre-existing bone, or in regenerated bone? We will critically examine these questions, weighing folk tales against reality and evidence-based outcomes.
Participants will dive into conceptual—not just technical—drivers of implant success, including the decision-making behind short implants vs. sinus augmentation, long-term prognosis of each approach, and the biologic and prosthetic complications associated with varied implant-to-crown ratios. This course emphasizes that surgical excellence alone is insufficient; long-term success demands a shift in conceptual thinking.