Overview
The study will examine the temporary volumetric change that happens in the gums around an implant crown when the crown is removed. The main question of the study is "how much time has to pass to see a significant change, especially when there could be a need to make a mold of the surrounding gum to make a new crown?"
The area of the implant crown will be scanned with an intra-oral scanner over a period of 15 minutes.
Description
When an implant crown is removed, the gum in the area, usually supported by the crown, might go through temporary changes once that support is gone. While the change itself may be temporary, some ways to make a final crown that would be esthetically pleasing might require making a copy of the temporary crown or a mold of the gum around the crown.
This study will involve the removal of an implant crown at a site where a failing tooth was removed, and a dental implant and a crown was placed into the extraction socket. Once the subject enrolls in the study, the area of the implant crown will be scanned right after the removal of the implant crown, and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 15 minutes after the removal of the crown. In order to record the exact location of the implant, a tag will be placed onto the implant and the tag will be scanned as well. The subject's crown will be also scanned so that all the data can be overlaid on top of each other to assess the actual change that occurs. After, the crown will be re-inserted in the patient's mouth so that the gum can rebound back to its original shape.
If the patient is able to return in the near future for a new crown, the patient will be asked to make one final scan of the mouth to see if there is any changes in the gums between that of the old and the new crown. This will show if the shape of the crown under the gums might have an effect on how the gums might look.
The study will look into whether an immediate change might happen, and how much change actually takes place over the 15 minutes, in whichever direction it might happen.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patient must have a maxillary anterior immediate implant and provisionalization treatment completed.
- The adjacent tooth next to the implant should be a natural tooth
- The temporary crown must have been in place for a minimum of 4 months
- The patient needs to be of general good health, with no significant medical history or social habits that might directly affect the hard and soft tissue
- Patient must have generally good oral hygiene without any history of gum disease or gum recession of other teeth around the region of interest
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patient with an implant crown that has no teeth next to the implant crown
- Patients who have an active gum disease