New CAD/CAM Technology Allowing For Custom Implant Abutments

The standard of care is increasing as new technology is shaping the way dentistry is performed.  As you may have heard, the words dental implants are used regularly in dental treatment planning. Bridges and partials are no longer the best alternative for a patient that is missing a tooth or needs a tooth extracted. Implants have now changed the way that we look at our patients as the best quality of care for them as long as certain criteria are met.

With the growing demand for aesthetically perfect implants not only by dentists, but also patients as well, new technology has arrived. Here at Family Smile Dentistry, we are now using our new CAD/CAM technology to mill custom implant abutments.

What is an abutment vs custom abutment and why would I need one?

A stock prefabricated abutment is provided by the manufacturer, and used as is. One size fits all per say. Because of this, it may alter the aesthetics or occlusion of the teeth before the treatment is even completed.

A custom abutment uses CAD/CAM technology that permits custom abutments to be designed virtually and then milled from a machine here at the office. These will now provide for a stronger supporting structure. Other advantages are the soft tissue shaping and the esthetics that can now be altered to an individual mouth.  

I can talk about this discussion personally as I have now had both, first a stock abutment and now a custom abutment.  As I am not like everybody, I had problems with the stock abutment. My gums were irritated and I had sensitivity. The crown was made big and bulky and the rest of my teeth are shaped small. After a few months of the stock abutment, the doctors recommended that a custom abutment be made as our office now had the new technology to customize one.

With the new CAD/CAM technology, the doctor and assistant take images of your mouth with a camera once the healing abutment is removed. This allows images of your supporting gum tissue to be entered into the computer. We then place supporting structures to again take images of the area to generate the custom abutment as well as the crown that will be cemented onto the custom abutment.

Once all your images are entered into the computer, our assistant then designs your abutment to give you a structure that would look like the inside of a tooth instead of a straight pointed stock piece. The abutment actually looked like a smaller sized tooth in my eyes.

Once the custom abutment and crown are milled, the doctor screws and torques the custom abutment into your implant. This now provides the platform for your crown to be cemented on to.

I immediately felt a difference in my mouth. The crown did not feel big and bulky. They actually aesthetically made the shade of the tooth more pleasing, and most importantly my gums around the abutment were calm. I have had my custom abutment in for over 2 weeks now and I have had not one symptom that I had before.

Unlike other offices, we do not charge a difference for the custom abutment as we feel that it is in the best interest for our patients as we now have the technology.  

If you have any questions regarding this treatment, please feel free to contact me at kendra@familysmiledentistry.com