Soft tissue in the esthetic zone
BioBrief - Soft Tissue Regeneration
The Situation
A young male patient was referred to the clinic with a missing central incisor, 21 (FDI) and an implant placed in the respective site. The patient does not smoke and drinks occasionally. Following a trauma on tooth 21, an implant was placed and the patient referred for an implant-born reconstruction. Upon a clinical examination, extensive horizontal and vertical contour deficiencies are present prior to abutment connection.
The Approach
The compromised situation with a horizontal and vertical hard and soft tissue deficit required a soft tissue volume grafting procedure. A buccal split-thickness flap was prepared and Geistlich Fibro-Gide® shaped and placed. Primary wound closure was obtained. Abutment connection was performed 8 weeks later and the emergence profile created with a provisional reconstruction. The final reconstruction was placed at 3 months.
The Outcome
The outcome of the case was very pleasing having fulfilled the patient’s expectation in terms of esthetics and function. The tissues are healthy and obtained volume through the grafting procedure and match the contour of the neighboring natural tooth.
Keys to Success
- Healthy peri-implant tissues
- Primary wound closure
- Off-the-shelf product alternative to CTG (no second surgical site needed)
- Ready-to-use matrix to increase volume in all direction
About the author
Prof. Dr. med. dent. Daniel S. Thoma – Zurich, Prosthodontist – Clinic for Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics and Dental Material Science, Zurich
Prof. Dr. Daniel Thoma is the Head of Reconstructive Dentistry and Vice-Chairman at the Clinic for Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics and Dental Material Sciences, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
He graduated in 2000 at the University of Basel, Switzerland and was trained in implant dentistry and prosthodontics at the Clinic for Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics and Dental Material Sciences, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
