Non-invasive assessment of peri-implant mucosal thickness: A cross-sectional study.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and reproducibility of different non-invasive methods for the assessment of peri-implant mucosal thickness.

Methods: Subjects with two adjacent dental implants in the central maxillary region were included in this study. Three different methods to assess facial mucosal thickness (FMT) were compared: digital file superimposition using Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) and stereolithography (STL) files of the arch of interest (DICOM-STL), DICOM files alone, and non-ionizing ultrasound (US).

Complications and treatment errors in implant positioning in the aesthetic zone: Diagnosis and possible solutions.

Incorrect implant positioning can lead to functional and aesthetic compromise. Implant positioning errors can occur in three dimensions: mesiodistal, corono-apical, and orofacial. Treatment solutions to manage adverse outcomes through positioning errors require an understanding of the underlying conditions and of those factors that may have led to the error being committed in the first place.

Indirect repair of saliva-contaminated materials using veneering ceramics.

Purpose: To analyze the in vitro efficacy of a surface conditioning liquid facilitating ceramic repairs of saliva-contaminated metal-ceramic and all-ceramic restorations.

Materials And Methods: Specimens constructed from nonprecious alloy (NPA), precious alloy (PA), lithium-disilicate (LD), zirconia (ZI), veneering ceramics for zirconia (VZI), veneering ceramics for lithium-disilicate (VLD), and veneering ceramics for metal alloys (VM) were manufactured (total: n = 168; each material n = 24). Veneering ceramic cylinders (thickness: 2 mm) were hand-layered on top of the specimens.

Prevention and Management of Cheek and/or Tongue Biting Related to Posterior Implant-Supported Fixed Dental Prostheses (ISFDPs).

After the loss of several adjacent posterior teeth, bone resorption occurs that can lead to a marked occlusal discrepancy between arches. This discrepancy may originate from the more pronounced resorption at the facial portion of the alveolar bone crest, often resulting in a more palatal implant position. Therefore, establishing normal overbite and cusp-fossa relation may become difficult, namely causing inappropriate crown contours and emergence profiles.

A modified technique for the intraoral assessment of static occlusal contacts.

This article describes a procedure in which articulating paper is modified for the intraoral assessment of static occlusal contacts. The rectangular-shaped articulating paper is modified by creating parallel cuts at 2- to 3-mm intervals perpendicular to its long side without completely separating the paper. This modification may improve the accuracy in determining occlusal contacts and therefore facilitate an occlusal adjustment procedure.

The Management of Peri-implant Mucosa Deficiencies in Esthetic Sites: Case Report of a Combined Surgical-Prosthetic Approach.

In cases of single missing teeth, implant rehabilitation is generally the preferred treatment option. However, obtaining pleasing esthetic results in the anterior maxillary region and maintaining or rebuilding peri-implant papillae remain challenging tasks. The loss of papillae may cause not just functional but also phonetic and esthetic problems.

An In Vitro Evaluation of the Loosening of Different Interchangeable Abutments in Internal-Connection-Type Implants.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the loosening of interchangeable one-piece abutments connected to internal-connection-type implants after cyclic loading.

Materials And Methods: Four implant abutment groups (n = 7 in each group) with Straumann tissue-level implants were assessed: Straumann solid abutment (group S), Southern Implants solid abutment (group SI), Implant Direct straight abutment (group ID), and Blue Sky Bio regular platform abutment (group BSB). The implant was firmly held in a special jig to ensure fixation.

Implant placement post extraction in esthetic single tooth sites: when immediate, when early, when late?

Implant placement in post-extraction sites of single teeth in the esthetic zone has been a topic of great interest in the field of implant dentistry since 1990. Triggered by the development of guided bone regeneration, the concept of immediate implant placement became quite popular in the 1990s. In the past 12 years, however, the dental community has begun to focus increasingly on the esthetic outcomes of post-extraction implant placement and several studies indicated a significant risk for the development of mucosal recessions with immediate implants.

Four-unit fixed dental prostheses replacing the maxillary incisors supported by two narrow-diameter implants - a five-year case series.

Objectives: (1) To determine the survival rate of 10 four-unit fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) replacing the four maxillary incisors, supported by 20 narrow-diameter implants (NDIs), (2) to assess the incidence of mechanical and biological complications, and (3) to evaluate bone level changes longitudinally after final FDP insertion.

Materials And Methods: Ten patients (six women, four men), mean age 49.4 ± 12.

Malpositioned implants in the anterior maxilla: a novel restorative approach to reestablish peri-implant tissue health and acceptable esthetics. Part II: Case report and discussion.

This two-part case presentation describes the prosthetic challenge of managing complications in a 50-year-old female patient after inadequate esthetic risk assessment, treatment planning, and implant placement in the anterior maxilla. In Part I, the clinical situation was described, and different restorative solutions were proposed to correct the extreme facial inclination of the implants, excluding major surgical procedures, namely implant removal. In Part II, different prosthetic options are discussed, and the final treatment is revealed.

Malpositioned implants in the anterior maxilla: a novel restorative approach to reestablish peri-implant tissue health and acceptable esthetics. Part I. Case presentation and treatment options.

This two-part case presentation describes the prosthetic challenge of managing complications after inadequate esthetic risk assessment, treatment planning, and implant positioning in the anterior maxilla. Here, the case report of a 50-year-old woman, referred after inappropriate execution of immediate implant placement, is presented. Different restorative treatment alternatives are proposed, excluding major surgical procedures.

Esthetic Evaluation of Implant Crowns and Peri-Implant Soft Tissue in the Anterior Maxilla: Comparison and Reproducibility of Three Different Indices.

Background: A successful implant reconstruction with optimal esthetics consists of a visually pleasing prosthesis and complete and healthy surrounding soft tissue. In the current literature, numerous indices used to qualitatively assess esthetics have been described. However, studies comparing the indices and their reproducibility are scarce.

Biologic width around different implant-abutment interface configurations. A radiographic evaluation of the effect of horizontal offset and concave abutment profile in the canine mandible.

Purpose: The purpose of this experimental study was to analyze radiographically in a dog model how different implant-abutment interface configurations influence alveolar crestal bone changes.

Materials And Methods: Six different experimental implant-abutment connections were evaluated in six mixed-breed dogs. The following parameters were tested: absence of microgap, microgap proximal to bone crest, and microgap distant from bone crest.

Quantitative three-dimensional methodology to assess volumetric and profilometric outcome of subepithelial connective tissue grafting at pontic sites: a prospective pilot study.

The aim of this study was to describe a technique for the assessment of soft tissue volumetric and profilometric changes. The technique has been applied at the alveolar contour of mild to moderate horizontal ridge defects after soft tissue augmentation at pontic sites. A quantitative three-dimensional (3D) analysis based on laser scanning was used for the measurement of volume gain and horizontal changes of alveolar profile 5 months after a subepithelial connective tissue graft using a pouch approach in five patients.

Peri-implant soft tissue conditioning with provisional restorations in the esthetic zone: the dynamic compression technique.

An optimal esthetic implant restoration is a combination of a visually pleasing prosthesis and surrounding peri-implant soft tissue architecture. This article introduces a clinical method, the dynamic compression technique, of conditioning soft tissues around bone-level implants with provisional restorations in the esthetic zone. The technique has several goals: to establish an adequate emergence profile; to recreate a balanced mucosa course and level in harmony with the gingiva of the adjacent teeth, including papilla height/width, localization of the mucosal zenith and the tissue profile's triangular shape; as well as to establish an accurate proximal contact area with the adjacent tooth/implant crown.

Influence of simulated bone-implant contact and implant diameter on secondary stability: a resonance frequency in vitro study.

Objectives: This study tested the hypothesis of no differences in resonance frequency for standardized amounts of simulated bone-implant contact around implants with different diameters. In addition, it was evaluated if resonance frequency is able to detect a difference between stable and rotation mobile ("spinning") implants.

Material And Methods: Implants with diameters of 3.

Effects of in vitro cyclic dislodging on retentive force and removal torque of three overdenture attachment systems.

Background: Mandibular two-implant-retained overdentures were suggested as first choice of treatment for edentulous mandibles. However, wear of the attachments may reduce their retention and compromise long-term clinical success.

Aim: The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the change in the retentive force and removal torque of three attachment systems during simulation of insertion-removal cycles.

Survival rates of short (6 mm) micro-rough surface implants: a review of literature and meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this review was to test the hypothesis that 6 mm micro-rough short Straumann(®) implants provide predictable survival rates and verify that most failures occurring are early failures.

Materials And Methods: A PubMed and hand search was performed to identify studies involving micro-rough 6-mm-short implants published between January 1987 and August 2011. Studies were included that (i) involve Straumann(®) 6 mm implants placed in the human jaws, (ii) provide data on the survival rate, (iii) mention the time of failure, and (iv) report a minimum follow-up period of 12 months following placement.

Long-term stability of contour augmentation with early implant placement following single tooth extraction in the esthetic zone: a prospective, cross-sectional study in 41 patients with a 5- to 9-year follow-up.

Background: Early implant placement with simultaneous contour augmentation is documented with short- and medium-term studies. The long-term stability of contour augmentation is uncertain.

Methods: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, 41 patients with an implant-borne single crown were examined twice, in 2006 and 2010.

Adhesively restored anterior maxillary dentitions affected by severe erosion: up to 6-year results of a prospective clinical study.

Unlabelled: In case of severe dental erosion, the maxillary anterior teeth are often particularly affected. Restoring such teeth conventionally (ie, crowns) would frequently involve elective endodontic therapy and major additional loss of tooth structure. A novel, minimally invasive approach to restore eroded teeth has been developed and is currently being tested in the form of a prospective clinical trial, termed The Geneva Erosion Study.

Efficacy and predictability of short dental implants (<8 mm): a critical appraisal of the recent literature.

Purpose: This review of literature was conducted to evaluate the predictability of treatment outcomes with short dental implants (SDI), ie, implants shorter than 8 mm.

Materials And Methods: The review included studies, published between January 1990 and July 2011, that (1) involved SDI (<8 mm) placed in human jaws, (2) had a minimum of 20 SDI in their analysis, (3) provided data on survival rates, and (4) reported a minimum observation period of at least 3 months after placement.

Results: Forty-one studies fulfilled the above criteria; only 17 of these studies reported outcomes with microrough surface SDI.

Fatigue resistance and failure mode of CAD/CAM composite resin implant abutments restored with type III composite resin and porcelain veneers.

Objectives: This study assessed the fatigue resistance and failure mode of type III porcelain and composite resin veneers bonded to custom composite resin implant abutments.

Material And Methods: Using the CEREC 3 machine, 28 composite resin implant abutments (Paradigm MZ100) were fabricated along with non-retentive type III veneers, milled either in ceramic Paradigm C (n=14) or in composite resin Paradigm MZ100 (n=14). The intaglio surfaces of the veneers were hydrofluoric acid etched and silanated (Paradigm C) or airborne-particle abraded and silanated (MZ100).

Palatal and facial veneers to treat severe dental erosion: a case report following the three-step technique and the sandwich approach.

Minimally invasive principles should be the driving force behind rehabilitating young individuals affected by severe dental erosion. The maxillary anterior teeth of a patient, class ACE IV, has been treated following the most conservatory approach, the Sandwich Approach. These teeth, if restored by conventional dentistry (eg, crowns) would have required elective endodontic therapy and crown lengthening.

Full-mouth minimally invasive adhesive rehabilitation to treat severe dental erosion: a case report.

Dental erosion is increasing, and only recently are clinicians starting to acknowledge the problem. A prospective clinical trial investigating which therapeutic approach must be undertaken to treat erosion and when is under way at the University of Geneva (Geneva Erosion Study). All patients affected by dental erosion who present with signs of dentin exposure are immediately treated using only adhesive techniques.