A Guideline on Provisional Restorations for Patients Undergoing Implant Treatment

Implant therapy has been well documented to have high success rate to restore partially and fully edentulous patients [1,2]. With increased patient acceptance for implant treatment and demand for minimum disruption on the transition from natural dentition to implant supported restorations, a well-constructed provisional prosthesis that fulfills the functional, aesthetic and phonetics need is required prior to the delivery of the final restorations. An ideal provisional restoration should be strong, durable and aesthetic, and it ought not to produce excessive pressure to the underlying soft tissue, as undesirable transmucosal pressure can lead to interruption of healing at the grafted sites or implant osseointergration [3-5]. A tooth or implant supported provisional restoration is often the preferred option. It offers psychological benefit and convenience for the patient and the clinician has control over the amount of soft tissue pressure exerted. A tissue borne removable prosthesis is indicated for its lower cost or in cases where no fixed support is available but the fitting surface of the tissue borne prosthesis has to be carefully adjusted to avoid violation of healing.