Implant Prosthetic Retreatments With OT Equator Biologic Abutments: Case Series

Objectives: The aim of this case series is to present an efficient therapy for patients with previous implant supported prostheses in the need for prosthetic retreatment. In the described cases, we adopted a unique prosthetic platform on 5 different dental implant systems thanks to an innovative abutment, which can be customized by the manufacturer for every existing connection design. Methods: 3 female patients (mean age 62) showed up wearing 5 complete full-arch implant supported rehabilitations, and requested new upper and lower prostheses due to: a) aging of the veneers, b) temporomandibular joint disorder, c) dissatisfaction about current oral function. We worked on 5 different implant systems, and one patient exceptionally showed 3 distinct typologies of fixtures. In one case we were unable to determine the brand of the implants, so we used castable pivots with polyvinylsiloxane to take miniature impressions of the internal morphology, to be submitted for specialized analysis. All the 45 implants were finally connected with OT Equator Biologic Abutments (OT Implant, Bologna, Italy), to get the same prosthetic platform on 5 different connections. Results: X-ray exams proved that the abutments fitted correctly in all the fixtures. Some of them were wrong in height and had to be replaced to obtain a correct emerging profile out of the soft tissues. The new prostheses have been delivered regularly after normal chair and laboratory sessions. With regard to prosthetic complications, fractures or unscrewing, none of these problems have been observed both for the prostheses (provisional or definitive) and the abutments after 12 months of function. Conclusions: The components adopted in this clinical study offer the possibility to easily handle implant prosthetic retreatments. As prosthodontists, we can standardize our routine approach to a wide variety of implant systems. More cases will provide soon other data, useful to write a dedicated protocol for this clinical issue.