Restoring soft and hard dental tissues using a removable implant prosthesis with digital imaging for optimum dental esthetics: a clinical report.

Currently, most dental implants are placed in the esthetic zone with a delayed surgical protocol. This delay can result in loss of both soft and hard oral tissues following the healing period, necessitating guided tissue regeneration, distraction osteogenesis, or bone expansion and grafting procedures either prior to or at the time of implant placement. If a delayed placement protocol is used, or if grafting procedures are ineffectual, the prosthetic phase of implant dentistry must restore the missing structures artistically and functionally to integrate with the patient's existing dentition.