Anodization of Implant Abutments to Improve the Color of Hard and Soft Tissue

The restoration of anterior dental implants involves the use of either cement- or screw-retained crowns. While both of these options offer good functionality and long-term stability, the dark color of titanium implant abutments can pose esthetic challenges. One method to mitigate esthetic limitations due to titanium show-through is to anodize the abutment and thereby modify its color to more closely match the ceramic crown and/or soft tissue. Gold anodization improves the color match of overlying ceramics, while pink anodization better masks titanium beneath soft tissue. This study compared the color of zirconia and lithium-disilicate specimens at varying thicknesses against different shades of titanium to a reference of dentin shade composite. The aim of the investigation was twofold: to assess whether the hue of titanium affected the final color of either ceramic material, and to determine what thickness of each ceramic over different hues of titanium would allow adequate color match with the same ceramic over dentin. The article discusses the process to anodize titanium abutments and concludes that selective anodization offers a practical method for balancing esthetics and structural integrity in anterior implant restorations.