Combined Use of Tissue Porcelain with an Implant-Supported Prosthesis in a Patient with Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract

When using an implant-supported prosthesis to restore defects in hard and soft tissue, ease of cleaning should be considered. To date, the combined use of tissue porcelain or hard resins to simulate gingival tissue with an implant-supported prosthesis has been reported, but the outcome of such cases has not been elucidated.
A 25-year-old woman visited our hospital complaining of esthetic dissatisfaction with the median maxillary region. She had congenital absence of the right maxillary lateral and central incisors associated with right cleft lip and palate. We extracted the right maxillary canine and left central incisor before performing implant treatment.
The results indicated a favorable short-term outcome for this patient in whom tissue porcelain was used with an implant-supported prosthesis, indicating the usefulness of manufacturing a provisional restoration. However, the requirements are the use of a fixed retrievable implantsupported prosthesis, sufficient understanding and cooperation from the patient concerning the need for frequent recalls, and the patient being able to perform self-maintenance.