Single-Tooth Restorative Treatment Using an Immediate-Loading CAD/CAM Technique

Purpose: Definitive restoration of missing tooth 25 in a single visit by positioning a tapered, immediately loaded implant, a titanium/zirconia abutment, and an allceramic crown. Materials and Methods: Surgery was planned using a software application which processed CT scan images to obtain a 3-D virtual model. With these images, the crest height and axial orientation of the virtual implants can be reproduced from an implant analog on a working cast using the Ray-Set Implant Ready-to-Load transfer procedure developed on the Ray-Set device (Biaggini Medical Devices, La Spezia, Italy). A tapered Exacta CV implant with a diameter of 4.0 mm (Biaggini Medical Devices, La Spezia, Italy) was chosen for its primary stability, an essential prerequisite for immediate loading. The allceramic crown on the Exacta Z CAD abutment was designed and fabricated using a CAD/CAM system. Conclusions: Using a computerized method, a surgical treatment plan can be defined using a prosthetic approach to implant positioning and pre-construction of a mesostructure and superstructure for chairside insertion and immediate loading, requiring only a single surgical session to obtain an excellent functional and esthetic result with superior accuracy and long-term predictability. Keywords: CAD/CAM, Ray-Set, flapless procedures, immediate loading, all-ceramic restorations, addons