Dental Implant Abutment is one of the three elements of a dental implant procedure, the other two being dental prosthesis and the implant itself. Of all of the three components the abutment is the most important. In the past, dentists have always been frustrated with the abutment and the lack of choice since the only abutments available were stock abutments.
Stock abutments are pre-made and sold, just like their name suggests and they are to be further refined and sculpted in the lab by your dentist. The only method of modifying these stock abutments is pure subtraction; however the abutments need to be cut with carbides, diamonds, and stone which make the process difficult. This modification is done so that the abutment can fit perfectly with the specific needs of the patient.
Stock Abutments
Over the years the dental industry has seen vast improvements in dental implant abutments ; stock abutments have experienced a shift towards angled and tapered abutments to provide a better, more natural dental fit. Recently, a move towards customized abutments has been seen, customized abutments utilize a casting method to improve the profile of the portion of the abutment which sits beneath the gum line. This method has been proven to correct angulation problems for patients but is extremely costly and very time consuming. Nothing beats a well placed implant; the best way to avoid making a custom abutment is for your implant to be placed correctly. Sometimes it is not possible to position an implant in the ideal position due to limitations of bone etc.
Customized Abutments
At Brighton Implant Clinic we use a combination of stock abutments, Customized Abutments and CAD-CAM abutments. CAD-CAM stands for Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacture; this is a technique that is widely used in the manufacturing world to produce intricate and complex components which would otherwise be next to impossible if not impossible to produce using more traditional methods.CAD-CAM abutment manufacture allows the dentist and the lab to request a very precise and specific abutment for the implant site.This is done in conjunction with a design manufacture team that uses state of the art software and milling equipment which uses the scan data from the patient’s dental castings to produce a completely customized abutment which is patient specific and more importantly specific for the actual implant area.
This process of dental implant abutment together with other advancements in dental implant procedures makes it easier and more successful for dental implant treatment to be catered for. With this kind of movement and speed, problems facing the dental industry will be overcome in the next few years. Brighton Implant Clinic has an in house dental implants laboratory for manufacturing of dental implant abutments and restorations. Our laboratory has experienced dental technicians who have worked with dental implants for numerous years. Our clinic has a KAVO everest CAD CAM system which is able to manufacture customized abutments as well as dental crowns, dental bridges and abutments. For further information on Dental Implant Abutment Contact Brighton Implant Clinic or Call us on 0800 111 6623.