Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE:Traditional and modern-day laboratory techniques can be used to mask vital and non-vital discolored teeth. CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS/METHODS:Two clinical case reports are presented showing different treatment approaches to differing clinical scenarios of partial coverage veneer and full coverage crown restorations, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:) can be used to mask metal posts and core restorations on non-vital teeth using an opaquer material that is infused into the intaglio surface in the green state. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE/CONCLUSIONS:Different clinical scenarios will present to the clinician in regard to discolored stump shades where understanding what laboratory material treatment options are available that will help guide definitive restoration types and ultimately tooth preparation design.

Successful rehabilitation of the anterior maxilla remains a challenge, primarily due to postextraction ridge collapse, which can lead to gingival recession and a nonesthetic appearance. The socket shield technique presents a viable alternative for immediate dental implant placement in the esthetic zone. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the survival, complication rates, and marginal bone loss around body-shift implants placed in fresh extraction sockets with the socket shield technique to replace maxillary incisors. After socket shield preparation, 14 hopeless incisors were extracted and immediately replaced by a body-shift implant (Inverta, Southern Implants) at baseline. Patients were followed up for 12 to 39 months (mean: 18.1 ± 8.2 months). The average age was 52.3 ± 16.9 years, and the survival rate was 100%. One socket shield presented minimal internal exposure that was successfully treated with a connective tissue graft. The mean PES score was 12.9 ± 1.2. Mean interproximal marginal bone loss was -0.4 ± 0.5 mm. Body-shift implants can be a promising alternative for immediate tooth replacement combined with the socket shield technique. The superior esthetic outcomes remained stable, suggesting that the extra space created by the narrow cervical portion of the implant is beneficial for preserving the alveolar bone and limiting internal shield exposure.

The clinical outcome of every prosthetic and restorative procedure depends on the maintenance of a healthy periodontium. It is, therefore, important that the prosthodontist and restorative dentist cause no harm or permanent damage to the underlying hard and soft tissues when performing clinical procedures necessary to carry out the planned treatment. Several factors involved in these procedures have been described to have an impact on gingival health. For the present article, a selection of four of these factors are presented with the goal of evaluating the current trends and their influence on periodontal structures: (1) tooth preparation configuration and apical extension, (2) gingival tissue sulcular expansion/retraction, (3) prosthetic contours, and (4) prosthesis marginal adaptation and the consequences of excess cement remnants. Based on the available scientific evidence and clinical experience, recommendations for the practitioner are given.

OBJECTIVE:The biaxial nature of the anterior maxilla poses a surgical and restorative challenge in implant dentistry. The present study sought to investigate the apical socket perforation rate (ASPR) from a simulated uniaxial implant placement and to determine the effect of implant length and diameter on ASPR when a uniaxial implant was placed compared with the orientation of the pre-existing dual-axis implant. MATERIAL AND METHOD/METHODS:Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans from the database of three private practices were searched for patients who received dual-axis implants within the esthetic zone in immediate tooth replacement therapy. A uniaxial implant was virtually placed using the pre-existing screw access channel of the dual-axis implant as a reference. The closest length and diameter were selected for the simulated implant. ASPR by the uniaxial implant was recorded. In addition, the affordable maximum length of a corresponding uniaxial implant that would avoid apical socket perforation was measured. RESULT/RESULTS:Eighty-one patients with a total of 101 dual-axis dental implants were selected for analysis. A simulated virtual surgical planning with uniaxial implants revealed high ASPR (48.51%). When the length of the uniaxial implant was reduced to 11 and 9 mm, ASPR was decreased to 41.58% and 20.79%, respectively. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Dual-axis implant design effectively evades anatomical challenges in the anterior maxilla (esthetic zone). Considering the current evidence, efforts should be made to carefully consider the angular disparity between the extraction socket-alveolus complex and the future restorative emergence so that a harmonious biologic-esthetic result may be more predictably and consistently obtained.

The concept of immediate tooth replacement therapy (ITRT) in the esthetic zone has become a viable treatment modality and widely accepted in clinical practice. However, achieving adequate primary stability that enables immediate provisional restoration and desirable space for bone-grafting with conventional tapered body implant designs is challenging. The macro-hybrid implant design with a prosthetic angle correction and body-shift feature in a singular form provides not only greater primary stability of a wider diameter implant but also circumferential gap distance both facially and interproximally preserve the labial bone plate and interdental attachment apparatus of the adjacent natural teeth thereby maintaining the interdental papilla. The present clinical series exemplifies the clinical advantages of this inverted body-shift implant design in ITRT in various clinical scenarios in (1) single tooth replacement in a Type 1 intact socket with a thin periodontal phenotype, (2) single tooth replacement in a Type 2 socket with a dentoalveolar dehiscence of the labial bone plate, and (3) multiple adjacent teeth replacement of two maxillary central incisor. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The macro-hybrid design implant with a prosthetic angle correction and body-shift feature in a singular form provides greater midfacial gap distance as well as tooth-to-implant distance to preserve the interdental attachment of the adjacent natural teeth thereby leaving the interdental papilla undisturbed, without sacrificing higher primary stability afforded by larger diameter implants.

OBJECTIVE:One of the most common complications with dental implants placed in the smile zone is the development of mid-facial recession, creating an undesirable esthetic result. When deciding how to remediate these clinical scenarios, the question becomes whether it may be feasible to save the problematic implant or if it is more predictable to remove the implant and start all over again. However, patients may be invested emotionally, physically, and financially in the implant and remediation may be a viable option depending on the diagnosis of the specific issues at hand and multi-disciplinary clinical execution. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE/CONCLUSIONS:What is crucial to understand in order to remediate these cases is answering four separate criteria: (1) is the implant in a restorable position, (2) is the implant healthy, (3) is the implant placed at an adequate depth, and (4) are components available to restore the implant. CONCLUSIONS:Two different clinical reports are presented that demonstrate various treatment remedies when saving implants in the esthetic zone.

This comparative case series presents 16 consecutively placed and temporized immediate implants in the maxillary esthetic zone. The implants have a novel, inverted body-shift design, intended to achieve high levels of primary stability via the tapered apical portion. The coronal narrow cylinder provides greater space between the implant platform and facial socket wall and adjacent teeth/implants, allowing a greater opportunity for augmentation. The restorative platform also features a subcrestal angle correction, which facilitates screw retention. The wider, facial platform-shift thus creates more room for augmentation via dual-zone bone grafting and the application of a dermal allograft, which yields greater soft tissue thickness after initial healing. This case series aimed to evaluate soft tissue thickness and compare the results to two previously published cohorts where implant design served as the only variable between groups.

A new implant design to increase labial plate dimension and tooth-implant distance in maxillary anterior extraction sockets over traditional tapered implant designs is presented. Generally, tapered implants are divergent and wider at the coronal aspect of the implant adjacent to the lowest bone volume. Decreasing bone around implants over time can lead to ridge collapse, recession, and a graying effect of the gingival tissues that eventually impacts esthetic outcomes adversely. This implant design incorporates a body-shift in both diameter, shape, and thread pattern and reduces the coronal portion to allow greater circumferential bone thickness to be created where it is needed most for long-term stability.