A technique for retrieving cement-retained implant prostheses

Lack of retrievability is one of the most important disadvantages of cement-retained implant restorations. A straightforward and cost-effective technique for accessing the abutment screw channel and unscrewing the abutment and cement-retained prosthesis as 1 unit is described. The technique does not jeopardize the integrity of the restoration, screw, abutment, or implant. A guiding acrylic resin index is fabricated for locating and guiding the access to the screw channel of the abutment, provided that the patient's cast with the implant analog is available. The procedure could be extrapolated to computer-aided designed and computer-aided manufactured (CAD-CAM) implant prostheses, whereby a CAD-CAM index could be fabricated on the digital model.