What is an implant abutment?

[Pav H]

Hello

I have a missing tooth at the front and I am currently wearing a plate that my dentist has made for this gap. The plate is constantly coming loose and I have to use a lot of denture adhesive to keep the denture in my mouth.

So I am looking at my options for having something fixed rather than removable and my dentist says a bridge would be a very bad solution because he will have to shave down my other teeth next to the gap.

He recommends an implant and I have been doing a bit of research on implants. However I don't understand what an implant abutment is exactly. I understand what the purpose of the implant and its crown is but could you please explain the purpose of the abutment.

Many thanks

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your post.

An abutment is the connection between the implant platform and the crown. It can be either separate from the crown or joined up with the crown in one piece. It comes in various materials such as titanium and zirconium and its connected to the implant below with a screw.