Dental Abutment
Abutments
Dental implants might be advised by your dentist if you have a missing tooth (or teeth). Most people may have heard of implants and crowns and bridges. But another important piece of any implant procedure that many people have not heard of is called the abutment. To be exact, dental implants are artificial tooth roots. An implant fuses with the jawbone to make a secure platform for your prosthesis (artificial tooth). The connecting pieces, often constructed from titanium or zirconia, that join the implant and the artificial tooth and/or a dental restoration are called abutments. Often both a prosthesis and an abutment are needed as part of a treatment for a missing tooth, and careful consideration
Fitting Abutments
For attaching the dental implant into the jawbone the dentist has two options. If gum tissue is used to cover the abutments, it is allowed about six months for healing. When the gums are healed the dentist will then cut the gums back open to expose the abutments, which allows for fitting the crown. The other option is to use the healing abutment. Often the healing abutments (cuffs) are preferred by patients as the need for further surgery is eliminated.
Healing Abutments
Healing abutments (also called healing cuffs) are abutments used specifically to help restore gum tissue. The healing cuffs are fitted over an implant, and the bigger width of the healing abutments helps in allowing space for the crown. Often dentists will use healing abutments just after an implant surgery so the hollow center of the implant is covered in order to encourage gums to develop in a healthy way. Gum tissues are able to heal around an implant site with the help of these healing abutments. Depending on circumstances and the anatomy of the patient’s mouth in some cases a dentist will choose to use custom made healing abutments. Abutments come in varying sizes and shapes, and there are many details that affect which abutment a dentist will use. Titanium is an increasingly popular material for its ability to blend aesthetically in a more natural way with other teeth and/or implants. Once gums have healed placement of the final abutment (or abutments) occurs and allows the implant to join with the prosthesis. Abutments are places in a few different ways depending on the situation. Healing abutments are usually secured temporarily to an implant.
Why Healing Abutments May Be Preferred
Implants are placed below the gums while abutments are placed above. For some people they opt out of healing implants because they prefer not to have an abutment sticking out of the gum while they are waiting for the jaw and implant to bond. But healing abutments prevent the need for more surgeries. Without the healing cuffs, the dentist has to reopen the gums to attach the crown after the jawbone and implant have fused. With the healing cuff, the only thing that needs to be done is making sure the fit is natural and possible reshaping of the gums and gum area.