Goodlettsville Dental Services

Abutment

In dentistry, an abutment is a connecting element used to attach prosthetics to a dental implant that is Osseointegrated. These are usually called prosthetic implant abutments. These abutments can be made from a variety of materials, such as titanium, surgical stainless steel and gold. More modern abutments are now also made from zirconia, which is a white ceramic, to better complement the aesthetics of a dental implant restoration. The two images to the right show a ceramic abutment and the ceramic crown bonded to it.

Ceramic Abutment connected to implant

Ceramic crown bonded to abutment

Prosthetic abutments are connected to the dental implants via a screw. This screw needs to be tightened to a predetermined torque, in order to avoid screw loosening during chewing, which can often create a counter-clockwise torque on the implant-abutment interface, encouraging the abutment screw to come loose. This can largely be prevented with proper screw design and torquing of the abutment.

The images to the right show how a ceramic abutment can enhance a ceramic crown by giving it a more life-like appearance. Ceramic abutments have to be used with care, however, since their compressive strength is nowhere near that of titanium, gold or other noble metals. Most clinicians feel more comfortable using a metal prosthetic abutment in the posterior molar areas, due to the increased masticatory forces present in these areas.

An abutment is not necessarily parallel to the long axis of the implant. It is utilized when the implant is at a different inclination in relation to the proposed prosthesis.