What Type Of Abutment Should I Have Placed On My Implant?

As an oral surgeon, I want to share with you a question I often get asked “What type of abutment should I have placed on my implant?” Well, I’ll first tell you that the person to help you decide that question is really the general dentist. My role in a dental implant procedure is to make sure you have the foundation that is as stable and healthy as possible. I want to ensure that the bone and the gum tissue and the implant are in synergy with each other and that they’re properly positioned so that the dentist now has a base in which they can build a tube. But, what are the different types of abutments or connections between the dental implant and the outside world or the crown itself? Well, there can be several types and a custom abutment is one in which something has been made so that that connection between that dental implant and that crown can be as natural also as possible. I will tell you personally that a custom abutment is the best choice because what it basically allows is for you to have the exact tooth shape that is appropriate for that space.

My analogy that I’ll often use is that we can buy clothes a couple of different ways. We can buy something that’s off the rack and when we buy it off the rack, it is what it is. We put it on and it fits or it doesn’t fit and we just say “that’s okay.” The next one is we buy something and then we get it altered and when we get it altered it’s modified and fits a lot better and that’s a great solution. But, really we know that if we have a special occasion or a special need, we’re going to first go in and get something made that fits custom to us. Well, the difference between the different types of abutment options that are out there are no different than those three options.

There is one option where it comes off the rack, there’s one option and where it can be modified and there’s one option where you can get a custom one made. If you can only imagine, that if we’re going to make this much effort to preserve and protect your tooth, I think you deserve something custom.