RESTORING GINGIVAL HARMONY AROUND SINGLE TOOTH IMPLANTS

One of the biggest challenges to restoring a single tooth implant in the esthetic zone of the mouth is the creation of harmonious gingival contour around the restoration. Soft- or hard-tissue deficiencies of the edentulous space are the most common obstacles to achieving gingival symmetry around the proposed restoration. Numerous gingival and osseous grafting and regeneration techniques are available but may complicate treatment by increasing the number of surgical procedures and sites necessary. This article describes a technique for treating mild-to-moderate ridge defects without the required additional surgical procedures or a surgical donor site. Soft-tissue overcontouring is provided around the healing abutment by modification of the surgical flap at second-stage implant surgery. Subsequent gingivoplasty allows establishment of anatomic gingival architecture that surrounds the single implant prosthesis.