A Novel Prosthetic Device and Method for Guided Tissue Preservation of Immediate Postextraction Socket Implants
Abstract
Preservation of the surrounding hard and soft tissues associated with an immediate postextraction socket implant to replace a nonrestorable tooth in the esthetic zone is one of the greatest challenges facing the dental team. Several studies have documented the biologic and esthetic benefits of bone graft containment with either a custom healing abutment or provisional restoration. Use of a prefabricated shell that replicates the extracted tooth at the cervical region can help achieve guided tissue preservation and sustainable esthetic outcomes in an easy, simple, consistent, and less time consuming way. The following case report of a hopeless maxillary right central incisor in a female patient possessing adjacent teeth with a thin periodontal phenotype illustrates this new treatment device, method, and concept.