Dental Implant Abutments

by sayra
(Dania Beach)

I was wondering if it is standard procedure for the Dentist to use one kind of an abutment when he first puts it in and a different one once the time comes to get the crown.

He told me that the reason they put the shorter abutment when he first did the procedure was because he did not want it to move. So when I went to get fitted for the crown they said they had to remove that abutment I had because my molar was going to be to big for it and it would fall off.

I was panicking because I did not want to do the whole procedure again and the assistant said "Oh don't worry we just have to unscrew the top not the whole thing." That was a lie, they took out the whole thing and I was really upset because I have had horrible experiences with Dentists and here was another. They said it should not hurt at all, but it did. I mean it wasn't excrutiating pain but it wasn't comfortable either.

My question is, Is it standard procedure to take out the abutment to put a longer one in and if so should it hurt a little? I healed for about 2 months and a half when they did this to me.

Comments for
Dental Implant Abutments

Click here to add your own comments

Healing Abutment
by: JP

I will try to assess what happened here but because you do not know the industry terminology it will be difficult. It sounds like the doctor put in a healing abutment or temporary crown first, then removed it later to place the final abutment. If so, then this is standard procedure.

A healing abutment is like a cover that screws into the implant. It is usually between 2-6mm tall and may have varying widths. The purpose of a healing abutment is to:
1. cover the top of the implant while the bone grows into it, without adding much height so that it is not struck by the opposing teeth AND
2. to shape the gums (commonly called gingiva) so that when the final crown is ready it will be covered nicely and look like a real tooth.

Another possibility is that the doctor made a temporary abutment. This serves all the same purposes as a healing abutment, only it is covered with a tooth colored material to look like a tooth. As the doctor/doctor's assistant said, this is made to be short on purpose so that it does not come into contact with the opposing teeth. That way someone can glance right at it and not see metal in your mouth.

Once the implant is osseointegrated (simple definition: the bone has attached itself to the implant and holding it stable), the healing abutment or temporary crown can be removed and the final crown is placed. Since it is held in with only a screw, it should remove easily. You do not disturb the implant itself, and it is not a surgery because the gingiva is already shaped.

The discomfort you experienced may be because the final crown was made wider than the healing abutment or temporary abutment, and now it is pressing against your gingiva. If it does not go away you should contact your doctor.

Abutement replacement
by: Karen

The specialist who put my temporary abutement in has now told me that my gum has healed over too much and he has to replace the temporary abutement and clear out the gum area so the dentist who is doing to do the actual crown has a good clear area to work in. I have to have all sorts of freezing needles again and wait 2-3 more weeks before I have my new tooth. He had sizing problems with the abutement when he first put it in. He said there was not a really good fit for me. He put is the smaller size, now I think he is going to put the larger one in, but is not saying he is going to use a larger one, because that means he would have to admit to an error in judgement. Now I have to go through this again. Has anyone else had this problem?

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Dental Implants General Archive

Go Back To Patients Home