Options for temporization in the aesthetic zone after implant fixture placement

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.