Esthetic Treatment of Peri-implant Soft Tissue Defects: A Case Report of a Modified Surgical-Prosthetic Approach

A major esthetic concern is soft tissue defects around implant restorations, which often result in an extra long prosthetic crown. This report describes a modified prosthetic-surgical approach to the treatment of peri-implant horizontal and vertical soft tissue defects in an esthetically demanding patient. One month before surgery, the implant crown restoration was removed, the preexisting implant abutment was reduced, and a short provisional crown, at the level of the homologous contralateral incisor, was applied. A bilaminar technique, consisting of an envelope coronally advanced flap covering two connective tissue grafts, was used to treat the soft tissue defects around the implant site. Four months after surgery, a new implant abutment and provisional crown were applied for soft tissue conditioning before the final impression. Nine months after surgery, the peri-implant soft tissue margin was 4 mm more coronal compared with baseline and at the same soft tissue margin level of the right central incisor. A 2.2-mm increase in buccal soft tissue thickness measured 1.5 mm apical to the soft tissue margin was accomplished. The emergence profile of the replaced tooth faithfully reproduced that of the healthy homologous contralateral central incisor. Two years after surgery, the soft tissue margin was stable and the esthetic appearance of the implant site was well maintained. This report demonstrates the possibility of fully correcting severe vertical and horizontal peri-implant soft tissue defects and achieving high patient satisfaction through a combined mucogingival and prosthetic treatment.