Bob Conte There are a multitude of options available to the CEREC dentist when it comes to restoring dental implants. The techniques are all over the spectrum with regards to complexity, outcome and cost. The perfect system should be technically simple, cost effective and provide our patients with the best long-term solution.
The use of stock abutments that are then manually customized is an acceptable treatment modality. All dental implant manufacturers offer stock abutments that are reasonably priced. The technique for the CEREC dentist is straightforward and is as easy as scanning a tooth for a crown.
The downside to these abutments is a limited ability to customize and control emergence profile and margin placement. Quite often the dentist is left with a mushroom-type of restoration particularly in molar areas.
These types of designs can create problems such as food impaction, compromised esthetics and large areas of unsupported ceramic to name a few.
Custom abutments, particularly those created with the CEREC 4.2 Chairside Software, offer the dentist unlimited control over the shape of the abutment.
The ability to control emergence beginning at the implant level makes for a much more natural anatomic form. The crown will have idealized contours as it is properly supported by the abutment. It also diminishes the potential for the above mentioned complications, most notably food impaction.
