References

Hobkirk J, Watson RM, Searson L.London: Churchill Livingstone; 2003

Options for temporization in the aesthetic zone after implant fixture placement

From Volume 41, Issue 4, May 2014 | Page 377

Authors

Arijit Ray-Chaudhuri

BDS, MFDS RCS(Ed), MJDF RCS(Eng), LLM, AFHEA, FDS RCS(Eng)

Specialist Registrar in Restorative Dentistry, St George's and King's Hospital Trusts, London, UK

Articles by Arijit Ray-Chaudhuri

Zaman Mirza

BDS, MJDF RCS(Eng)

Senior House Officer in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Northwick Park Hospital, London, HA1 3UJ

Articles by Zaman Mirza

Lloyd Searson

BDS, MS(UMich) FDS RCS(Eng)

BDS, MSc(Mich), FDS RCS(London), Consultant and Specialist in Restorative Dentistry, London Centre for Prosthodontics

Articles by Lloyd Searson

Article

The majority of implants placed in the UK are not loaded or temporized immediately at fixture placement. Thus patients commonly have a period of osseointegration between placement of the implant fixture and definitive restoration. The length of this period is case dependent and is between 3 and 6 months following modern protocols.1 Adjustments are made to account for patient risk factors, such as medical history, smoking and previous implant failure, as well as local factors, such as the quality and quantity of the bone and the use of bone grafting.

Outside of the aesthetic zone patients are often happy to forgo provisional prosthodontic replacement in the period leading to definitive restoration. In the aesthetic zone, however, this is rarely the case and patients will request either a fixed or removable prosthodontic solution.

Removable partial dentures have the benefit of allowing easier access to the implant site for suture removal, placement of a trans-mucosal abutment, impression-taking and placement of the definitive restoration. Conversely, dentures may retain plaque at the surgical site and/or load the fixture prior to osseointegration, both of which may increase the risk of implant loss.

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