Dr. Östman received
his dental degree
from the University
of Umeå, Sweden.
He holds a PhD from
the Department of
Biomaterials, Institute
for Surgical Sciences,
Sahlgrenska
Academy, Göteborg
University, Göteborg,
Sweden. At present,
he is a Visiting
Professor in the
Department of
Periodontology and
Oral Implantology,
Dental School,
University Hospital,
Faculty of Medicine
and Health Sciences,
University of Ghent,
Belgium; Visiting
Professor, Dental
School, University
Hospital, James
Cook University,
Townsville, Australia,
and is in a private
practice in Falun,
Sweden. He has
authored several
articles both in
oral pathology and
implantatology
and has lectured
extensively in implant
dentistry during the
last 15 years.
A 52-year-old female presented with hopeless dentition because of severe periodontal problems in the maxilla. She was healthy with no contraindication for implant surgery, although she had severe anxiety toward dental treatment.
All teeth were extracted and a removable full upper prosthesis was delivered during healing. The mandible was treated with a full-arch tooth supported bridge. After three months of healing, implants were installed in a one-stage surgical protocol.
After soft-tissue healing, the full upper prosthesis was converted into a fixed LOCATOR F-Tx (Zest Dental Solutions) temporary prosthesis. Soft-tissue height was measured for appropriate length of the abutment, and the spherical F-Tx abutments were mounted and tightened. The F-Tx abutment system is a novel fixed prosthetic method with a spherical abutment and a denture attachment that is retained in the abutment with PEEK retentive balls, eliminating the need for prosthetic screws and dental cement. Because the abutment is spherical, the housing can be angulated up to 20°, which provides implant angulation flexibility and optimal housing alignment.
After healing time of three months, an impression was taken for a definitive CNC milled titanium/acrylic fixed F-Tx prosthesis. A soft-tissue stone model was made with F-Tx analogs. The position of the attachment was picked up with an index silicone material. The denture was ground out with a specially designed drill for housing the attachments.
The denture was filled with a dual-cure composite material. A small amount was also placed on the attachments, securing proper fixation of the attachments into the denture. After light-curing and an additional five minutes of seating with the patient biting in light occlusion, the denture was snapped off.
The denture attachment was snapped on and scanned for the Ti framework. The Denture Attachment housing was fixed to the framework with CHAIRSIDE Attachment Processing Material (Zest Dental Solutions), and the Ti/Acrylic fixed prosthesis was completed.
