Customized CAD-CAM healing abutment for delayed loaded implants

Abstract

When conventional prefabricated healing abutments are used, the surrounding soft tissue profile may be unfavorable at the time for restorative treatment, requiring additional time-consuming recontouring. This article presents a technique for fabricating a customized computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) healing abutment for a delayed loaded dental implant placed in the region of a missing maxillary right first premolar. A surgical guide was fabricated and a definitive cast was made from the surgical guide. The cast was digitized using a scanner, and a customized healing abutment was digitally designed using computer software. The presented technique provides guided implant placement and predicts optimum soft tissue contours that enhance the implant emergence profile.