Soft tissue management around dental implants
Mucogingival surgery for correction of soft tissues within the oral cavity is a common procedure in dentistry.
Autologous tissues from the palate like Free Gingival Grafts (FGG) or Subepithelial Connective Tissue Grafts (SCTG) are often applied during gingival augmentation procedures to either augment keratinized tissue or ridge volume. These periodontal surgery techniques were also transferred into implant dentistry.
Hereby, functional and aesthetic indications need to be differentiated. In the posterior or functional area, the main goal is to maintain or augment keratinized mucosa around implants to prevent periimplant infections. In contrast, gain in soft tissue volume is necessary to achieve a perfect appearance in the anterior region. The lecture will mainly focus on surgical aspects in both areas and will give a insight into new developments in the area of soft tissue substitutes.