The buccal pedicle flap technique for periimplant soft tissue boosting

A healthy and adequate band of keratinized periimplant mucosa is key to long-term biologic and esthetic success. Yet in about one-third of implant patients, its formation requires connective tissue graft procedures. Such procedures may be considered impractical for patients who need retreatment of failures, those who are not willing to go through multiple surgical steps, or those receiving multiple implants that would thus involve multiple connective tissue grafts. This article introduces the buccal pedicle fl ap technique, a new surgical approach for boosting the soft tissue around dental implants without connective tissue grafting. The technique is a minimally invasive surgical approach that can be performed as one-stage or two-stage surgery and can be applied in anterior and posterior areas as well as at single and multiple adjacent implants.