Immediate provisionalization with a CAD/CAM interim abutment and crown: A guided soft tissue healing technique

Abstract

A technique is described in which a single interim abutment and crown were fabricated in advance and placed the day of dental implant surgery. The contours of the interim crown were identical to the contours of a tentatively designed definitive prosthesis and allowed the tissue to heal and obtain contours that accommodated the contours of the definitive prosthesis. After osseointegration was established, a definitive impression was made with a custom computer-assisted design and computer-assisted manufacturing impression coping. The definitive prosthesis then was fabricated.