MAKING THE CONNECTION FROM IMPLANT TO PROSTHESIS
Serving as an intermediate between the implant and the prosthesis, dental abutments come in a variety of materials and offer a range of prosthetic solutions for great stability
Defined as a connector that is placed on top of the dental implant to support and retain a prosthesis, dental abutments are further classified in two ways: the method of prosthetic retention—screw, cement, or attachment device—and the method by which they are retained to the implant fixture or body—screw-in, friction-fit, or cement. Abutments can also be created from a variety of materials, such as titanium, gold, stainless steel, or zirconia.
Each type of abutment offers unique properties and strength levels that correspond with a variety of patient cases. The following systems offer simplicity while providing a clear path toward prosthesis with optimal function and esthetics.
Products
With Contour Zirconia Abutments from Zimmer Biomet, the collar of the abutment is contoured below the margin, allowing space for soft tissue around the implant. The contour abutments are manufactured from a strong zirconia material, and the titanium interface ring provides a titanium-to-titanium connection for a precise fit between implant and abutment.
The LOCATOR R-Tx Removable Attachment System from Zest Dental Solutions includes an abutment with a new, stronger DuraTec Coating. The dual engaging geometry of the abutment offers a narrower leading edge and taper-like effect, enabling easy alignment and proper seating of the overdenture.
Fixed for the patient yet easily removed by the clinician, Zest’s LOCATOR F-Tx is a simplified fixed attachment system for full-arch restorations. Its abutment features a unique, spherical coronal geometry which allows the denture attachment housing to rotate in any direction and correct up to 20º from a common vertical.
Atlantis abutments from Dentsply Sirona deliver patient-specific prosthetic results, supporting cement-, single-tooth screw-, and friction-retained restorations. Each abutment is individually designed from the final tooth shape with patented Virtual Atlantis Design software. Four key features, known as the Atlantis Abutment BioDesign Matrix, work interdependently to support soft-tissue management.
Simplifying the insertion of the final restoration, Straumann CARES Abutments offer flexibility in design for automatically corrected angulations. Including a range of high-quality CAD/CAM abutments, they are designed to offer patient-specific emergence profiles and anatomical shapes to reach esthetic results.
Nobel Biocare's On1 concept allows flexibility in the choice of On1 Base abutments depending on the thickness of the soft tissue. It also presents the option to follow a conventional
impression-taking or intraoral scanning workflow. The connective tissue structure is left intact because the On1 Base remains in the site during the entire restorative workflow and throughout the lifetime of the restoration.
