Custom Abutments

There is a more Hygienic choice when it comes to building on implants.

Recently, a dentist called me sounding very excited because of a great price he had been given by an implant company. It was indeed a very low price for a titanium abutment. Previously, this Doctor had been using our custom abutment system without having any problems. He was relatively new to working with implants, and we guided him through the process successfully in the past few years. Like many general practitioners, he referred all his patients to a Dental Surgeon for the initial procedure.

With the painful truth about rising costs, we are all looking for ways to save a few dollars. Any practical solution that will lead to a better profit margin is always worth looking at. When he called with his ”good news,” I cringed a little because of my own past experience. Sadly, I knew I had to burst his bubble delicately.

The abutments he was presented with were not only knock-offs, but they were stock abutments. I’m sure their claim of being made from titanium was true, but the idea of anticipating the surrounding tissue formation has always bothered me. In my opinion, there is nothing better than creating the margin/crown junction with consideration of the tissue and sulcus. Adapting the shape of the metal work to the contours of the patient’s anatomical profile creates a healthy deflection of materials during mastication.

I recall the question my mentor would ask me during my early days of training. “Would you want that, if you were the patient?” When we think about stock abutments, they are just that: stock. They are manufactured in uniform fashion with a few options, blindly pursuing a closer fit. The price is going to be lower because of mass production. But any savings may backfire because of food traps and irritation in the patient’s future.

I’m glad to say, my friend decided to stick with what was working.