The Story:
This patient had congenitally missing upper lateral incisors and had been using a flipper for years. A flipper, is usually indicated for temporary tooth replacement, so you are never without a tooth. Your gums will support your flipper so possible irritation and thinning of your soft tissues will occur. Flippers should be placed primarily for short-term use before a more permanent tooth replacement solution is completed. The patient was unhappy with the removable denture and wanted to replace the teeth with a more natural look and feel. However, she was previously told by her dentist there was not enough room for implants, and that she had no choice but to get either a partial denture or a bridge.
Treatment:
A complete 3-D digital dental implant work up was done to assess the amount of available space, as well as precise positioning of dental implants. Using our digital computer model allowed us to place virtual implants. It was noted that while the space was minimal, narrow body implants were possible, but needed to be placed very precisely to avoid damage to adjacent teeth. To achieve this we used our digital model and fabricated a CAD-CAM guide, which was used during the procedure to lead Dr. Kazemi with precise positioning of the implant. Following a successful implant placement, patient was allowed to heal for 3 months. Lastly, her restorative dentist Dr. Kate Nematollahi, temporized the implants for another 3 months to design the gum tissue and aesthetics before taking it to final crowns.
Photo Gallery
The keys to our success:
- Team approach by an oral surgeon and the restorative dentist
- 3-D digital work up and CAD-CAM surgical guide
- Proper planning with right size implant
- Precisely positioned dental implant using 3-dimensional computer assisted planning
- A great temporary crown to form the proper gum tissue form
- Great customized abutment and final crown to make it look and feel natural