Transition from a fixed implant dental prosthesis to an implant overdenture in an edentulous patient: a clinical report

Abstract

The lack of planning before implant placement and restoration in edentulous patients can lead to a number of problems. Prosthodontists are often faced with the challenge of re-treating patients who have only recently been treated. Although many reports discuss retreatment by fabricating all new prosthetic components, few discuss salvaging parts of the patient's existing prosthesis. This report details the treatment of an edentulous patient who presented with an implant-retained fixed dental prosthesis in the maxillary arch and no opposing prosthesis. The transition from an implant-retained fixed dental prosthesis to a removable implant- and tissue-supported overdenture that uses the patient's existing computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing milled titanium substructure is described.