Esthetic implant restorations.

The success achieved with osseointegrated implants in the treatment of edentulous patients created a demand for their use in partially edentulous patients as well. New challenges confronted restorative clinicians with this group of patients, particularly esthetic challenges. New components and techniques had to be developed to improve the esthetic results. The "UCLA" abutment allows the restoration to connect directly to the implant fixture, emerging through the mucosa with a natural appearance. Esthetic titanium abutments can now also be used for a subgingival restorative design that creates a natural and gradual emergence profile similar to the UCLA abutment while maintaining more of the time-tested biomechanical principles of the older cylindrical titanium abutments.