Abstract
Patient: A 63-year-old woman came to our dental clinic complaining of looseness in a bridge with abutments on the left mandibular second premolar and third molar treated 10 years earlier and masticatory disturbance. In the affected area, the third molar was mesially tilted into the left mandibular first molar and second molar defect area. Since the defect space was reduced, a left mandibular second premolar and third molar bridge was designed with a pontic for only one tooth. Both the left mandibular second premolar and third molar were vital and the excessive taper of the abutment tooth left mandibular third molar was considered to be responsible for the early detachment. One implant was inserted in the left mandibular first molar and second molar area, and zirconia crown prostheses with individual crowns on both the left mandibular second premolar and third molar were fabricated.
Discussion: Adequate function was regained after treatment. Three years after surgery, there was no gingival redness or swelling and radiographic examination revealed that there was no bone resorption around the implant. The results suggest that a good outcome can be obtained with an implant prosthesis in the defect area, when conditions allow.
Conclusion: Stable occlusal support was obtained with implant treatment in a unilateral edentulous area of the mandible. With this treatment, adequate masticatory function can be effectively regained.
