Maintenance and final impression making
Key points
- Enroll the patient in a maintenance program to be followed during the osseointegration period
- If normal healing is observed schedule recalls 4 times, the first 10 days after surgery, 2,4 & 6 months post-op
- The residual ridge should be recorded as if a complete denture were being made
- The usual anatomic landmarks that guide the location of the occlusal plane and positions of the teeth should be recorded in the impression, so they can be used to guide the positions of the prosthetic teeth
It is of paramount importance for the success of the implant treatment, to enroll the patient in a post-surgical implant maintenance program as of the surgery day.
Maintenance Protocol: Osseointegration period
- When and what to do at the recall visits
On the day of surgery, recall appointments shall be planned to establish the post-surgical implant maintenance program [1]:
- 10 days post-surgery: suture removal, oral hygiene (prophylactic procedures of abutments, implants and prosthesis and oral hygiene instructions to the patient), diagnostic methods
- 2 Months post-surgery: oral hygiene, assessment and diagnosis
- 4 Months post-surgery: oral hygiene, assessment and diagnosis
- 6 Months post-surgery: assessment and diagnosis
- Diagnosis: clinical and radiological parameters to include in assessment
Clinical and radiological parameters must be assessed and evaluated at recall visits to monitor the peri-implant complex health status [1]:
- 10 days post-surgery: Clinical Implant Mobility (mob), Suppuration (Sup), Modified Plaque Index (mPlI) [2], Modified Bleeding Index (mBI) [2]
- 2 Months post-surgery: mob, Sup, mPlI, mBI, Probing Pocket Depth (PPD) in millimeters
- 4 Months post-surgery: mob, Sup, mPlI, mBI, PPD and Periapical X-ray
- 6 Months post-surgery: mob, Sup, mPlI, mBI, PPD
The definitive implant impression: How to make it
Click on the blue button below and be directed to the Clinical Procedures Paragraph, from the IFCD e-book. Access and read the sub-section named: Definitive Implant Impressions. This sub-section focuses on the clinical steps to take definitive implant impressions for fixed full arch rehabilitations.
Once you have completed the reading, remember to use the "BACK TO THE ONLINE COURSE" button to return to this page and advance to the next modules.
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