Discussions on Abutments

I have recently started using zirconia abutments, but have experienced my crowns debonding and dislodging.

I recently attended a lecture where the idea of micromovement of the abutment / implant interface under load created a micropump of fluid movement that contributed to bone loss.

One of my dental implant patients returned with a loose cemented crown. I cannot be sure if the crown is loose or if the abutment is loose. Is there any reliable way to determine this?

I am wondering if a principle outlined by Misch in Dental Prothesis book is generally accepted?

How soon after implant placement can I replace the healing collar with a temporary abutment?

I am an Australian dentist. I recently went to place a screw retained abutment and cement retained crown on the upper right premolar. The surgeon had placed a Branemark narrow platform 15mm length dental implant.

When I torque down the abutment into the dental implant, sometimes the gingiva blanches around the junction of the implant platform and the abutment margin on the buccal.

I had a dental implant put in 4 years ago. I have returned to my dentist 3 times because the crown became loose, apparently because the abutment was never properly seated onto the implant.

My dental implant representative recommends that I use stock zirconia abutments and that I prepare them in the mouth. He says that this is just like doing conventional crown and bridge. But, I have my doubts. Is this really as easy as conventional crown and bridge?

Recently, I completed a case where I forgot to torque down the abutment screw completely. Now it is loose! How do I retrieve this screw and tighten it?

However, I just inserted a crown where the margin was short of the abutment margin. Have any of you experienced this same problem?

I am considering the use of the Nobel Biocare Easy Abutments for the restoration of an edentulous maxilla. Has anybody attempted this kind of restoration and what complications did you encounter?

I am replacing #11, 12 and 13 with an dental implant fixed partial denture supported by two 4.0x10mm implant fixtures in #11 and 12 sites. #13 will be cantilevered. For this dental implant design, will make any difference if I use the UCLA type abutment crowns or will cement retention be better?

I have difficulty inserting the abutment into the dental implant fixture. The gingival tissue grows tightly against the healing cap.

The last few cases my lab has returned to me have abutments with pointy tops. They say they leave the pointy tops because it increases the occluso-gingival height of the abutment which increases retention.

I have been hearing a great deal about the problem of bacteria colonizing around the micro-gap between the dental implant fixture and the abutment. Is this a real problem to be concerned with?

I have had two patients ‘break’ the abutment about half way down the dental implant.

A patient asks us:Can someone please give me a basic explanation of the various types of dental implant-abutment attachments?

I’ve heard that there is a problem around the abutment margin junction on dental implants where bacteria tend to collect.

Ronda asks us:My 18 year old son was in a car accident and needed his 4 top front teeth replaced. He has had bone grafted and the
dental implants are in. My question relates to his abutments.

Dr. Croll asks us:
I use Atlantis custom abutments for cement retained crowns and bridges and usually the fit on single units is excellent.

For some of my more apprehensive dental implant referrals I place the solid abutment onto the dental implant for them, allowing them to take a conventional crown and bridge impression for the crown.

Have any of you started using one-piece dental implants where there is no dental implant-abutment interface? What is your experience with these implants?

here seems to be some controversy over torquing down the abutment screw when placing dental implants. Most of the dental implant crowns and bridges that I do involve torquing down the abutment and then cementing the crown or bridge.

There are other recent studies that have shown no bone loss with an abutment that was step backed from the implant itself. Some manufacturers have already been offering these types of abutments for quite some time. Is this the future direction for abutments?