Tooth- and tissue-supported provisional restorations for the treatment of patients with extended edentulous spans

Dental implants have been used successfully for decades in the treatment of edentulous patients and offer great comfort compared with complete dentures. However, completely edentulous patients or patients with several teeth with poor prognosis that will be all extracted have to be provided with an interim complete denture until the implants have been uncovered. Complete dentures are a less attractive option for the patients because of functional, esthetic, and psychological reasons. The use of complete dentures over implants during the patients' healing period has been associated with numerous complications. The aim of this paper was to present a new type of provisional restoration supported by hopeless teeth and soft tissues.

These provisional restorations can be used during the osseointegration period to avoid the use of a complete denture. The teeth can thus be restored with fixed restorations during the whole osseointegration period to provide better comfort and avoid the psychological stress of using a removable prosthesis. Additionally, the problems associated with dentures over implants or grafts (pressure, implant exposure, etc.) can be eliminated.