Retention of implant-supported facial prostheses presents challenges in design that may lead to use of freestanding abutments. This is particularly so in the midface and orbit. Individual implant success rates are lower in these regions, and bone remodeling capacity may be compromised by combined modality cancer therapy. The present study was undertaken to determine the variations in load deliv...

With an increase in the availability of implant restorative components, the selection of an appropriate implant abutment for a given clinical situation has become more challenging. This article describes a classification system that will help the practitioner understand the different implant abutments available and therefore be able to understand the selection of abutments for single and multip...

PURPOSE To assess the influence of anodized titanium and zirconium dioxide abutments and peri-implant soft tissue thickness on the optical outcome of implant-supported lithium disilicate single crowns. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty patients with a missing maxillary single incisor, canine, or first premolar received an endosseous implant after a two-stage surgery protocol. After healing and sof...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to analyze the soft tissue barrier formed to implant abutments made of different materials. MATERIAL AND METHODS Six Labrador dogs, about 1 year old, were used. All mandibular premolars and the first, second and third maxillary premolars were extracted. Three months later four implants (OsseoSpeed, 4.5 x 9 mm, Astra Tech Dental, Mölndal, Sweden) were...

Dental implants have been a universally accepted option for prosthetic rehabilitation of partially edentulous patients. Titanium implants abutments exhibit a dull grayish hue and give an unnatural appearance. Abutments based on zirconia are one of the alternatives to titanium abutments. To date, few comparative studies have reported on esthetic and biological outcomes of implant-supported resto...

BACKGROUND Screw loosening of implant restorations continues to be a complication in implant prosthodontics. Screw joints are subjected to a loss of initially applied torque because of friction and component misfit. It has been suggested that the loss of applied torque is less in machined metal abutments than in cast plastic abutments. PURPOSE This study compared the loss of applied torque (d...

PURPOSE Micromotion at the implant-abutment level has been reported to be a major determinant of longterm implant success, as technical problems ranging from screw loosening to screw fracture may occur as a consequence of excessive micromotion. MATERIALS AND METHODS Following published standards, implant-abutment assemblies were fixed in a universal testing machine at a 30-degree angle. A cyc...

The aim of this study was to test whether veneering of the submucosal part of zirconia abutments using pink veneering ceramic positively influences the color of the peri-implant mucosa. Single-tooth implants were restored with either white zirconia abutments (control group) or pink-veneered zirconia abutments and all-ceramic crowns. Esthetic outcome measurements included a spectrophotometric ev...