An esthetic clinical approach for the management of an infrapositioned implant-retained maxillary incisor crown

Abstract

Infrapositioning of implants in the maxillary anterior region can cause esthetic complications, including soft tissue problems. These complications commonly occur in implants placed in young adults. However, there are many clinical reports of implant infrapositioning in the maxillary anterior region after the fourth decade of life. This clinical report describes a case of infrapositioning of the maxillary central incisor wherein esthetic results were obtained through surgical and prosthetic approaches. The surgical approach improved the gingiva shape using the tunnel technique, and the prosthetic approach increased gingiva thickness by adjusting the shape of the abutment, resulting in a shape similar to the natural teeth.

Keywords

• Maxillary anterior region
• Esthetics
• Implant infrapositioning
• Soft tissue deficiency
• Soft tissue thickness
• Angled screw channels