title: The use of polytetrafluoroethylene tape for the management of screw access channels in implant-supported prostheses.
abstract: This article describes a procedure in which polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape is used to seal the screw access channel to protect the screw head of the abutment and crown screw in implant-supported restorations. The material can be sterilized, is easy to manipulate, radiopaque, and less associated with malodor when retrieved. Malodor is primarily associated with the implant-abutment interface configuration and the suprastructure component design of a given implant system. This technique enables fast removal of the filling material in a single piece, preventing unpredictable and time-consuming manipulations when removal of the screw-retained crown or abutment is required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Fixed Prosthodontics and Occlusion, School of Dental Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. osvaldo.moraguez@unige.ch
authors.forename: Osvaldo D
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Moráguez
authors.forename: Urs C
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Belser
mesh_terms: D000269:Adhesives; D003442:Crowns; D000044:Dental Abutments; D017268:Dental Prosthesis Retention / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D006801:Humans; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene
chemical_list: D000269:Adhesives; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene