Restoring the gingival contour by means of provisional resin crowns after single-implant treatment.
A consecutive group of 55 patients was treated with 63 single-implant restorations. The soft tissue was allowed to heal to either provisional resin crowns (n = 25) that were placed at the time of second-stage surgery, or to healing abutments (n = 38) before final crown insertion. An index that assessed the size of the interproximal mucosa adjacent to the single-implant restorations was used to evaluate the volume of the papillae 2 years after crown insertion. The results indicated that the use of provisional crowns may restore soft tissue contour faster than healing abutments alone, but the papillae adjacent to single-implant restorations presented similar volume in both groups after 2 years in function. Furthermore, the mean marginal bone loss at the implants was 0.9 mm after 1 year, and no differences were observed between the 2 groups. The present data focus on the need for more scientific data to evaluate different clinical procedures for optimizing esthetic results in implant dentistry.
Jemt
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Prosthetic Division, Brånemark Clinic, Göteborg, Sweden.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D003442:Crowns; D019250:Dental Implants, Single-Tooth / Q000009:adverse effects; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported / Q000009:adverse effects; D003833:Denture, Partial, Temporary; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing