Maintenance of Occlusion during Healing Period after Implant Placement

Abstract

Applying as little load as possible to protect osseous tissue around the dental implant has been considered as the most important element especially during the osseointegration period. Therefore the patients' QOL might be unwillingly sacrificed during this period. Moreover, the management of occlusal function (or occlusal relationships) is believed lower priority, and often is deferred until a later time once osseointegration is obtained.
However, maintaining patients' QOL even during the healing period ought to be given higher priority as well as nutritional care and wound healing. Furthermore, in case of numerous teeth loss, maintaining stable centric occlusion from the beginning to the end of the treatment period and positioning the mandible adequately in a limited time period are important to avoid any mechanical complications.
Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to indicate the basic principle of providing occlusal contacts on the provisional and final restorations; also suggested are some strategies and precautions to ensure success for the management of mastication function during the healing period.