RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To study early soft tissue healing of immediately placed implants with or without immediate loading in the dog. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-eight implants were placed in the distal sockets of Pm3 and Pm4 in the lower jaw of 12 beagle dogs immediately after tooth extraction. In the control group, no loading was applied. In the test group, an immediate loading restoration with occlusal contacts was performed. Dogs were sacrificed at 2, 4, and 8 weeks for histological analysis. RESULTS: At the end of the study, there was a 100% implant and prosthesis survival. The biological width dimension was similar in both groups at all the studied healing periods. This dimension tended to decrease from week 2 to 8 in both groups, on both the buccal and lingual side. The barrier epithelium tended to stop at the implant-abutment interface in both groups and also decreased in length from week 2 to 8, on the buccal and the lingual side. Soft tissue recession remained low and occurred mainly in the test group. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics, dimension, and healing pattern of the peri-implant soft tissues were similar around immediate implants with or without immediate loading.