What is a healing abutment?

1. What is a healing abutment? What is the function?

The healing abutment is a very important component when undergoing implant surgery. A healing abutment is a long-term abutment that holds the implant in place after surgery and helps the tissue heal, allowing the implant to grow firmly into the bone around the tooth. Once the healing abutment is placed by the dentist, it is inserted into the meniscus of a person's tooth and then embedded under the gums. After appropriate healing time, the dentist can secure the permanent abutment to the implant and create a crown to complete the implant procedure.

2. How to choose the model of healing abutment?

The dentist will consider a variety of factors, such as gum thickness, lifelong or degradable healing abutment, three-dimensional shape of the dental implant neck, gingival margin shape, etc. Choosing a suitable healing abutment is crucial for post-implantation results and subsequent restoration.

（1）A lifelong healing abutment

Lifetime healing abutments are commonly used and are made of stainless steel and titanium. Lifetime healing abutments are generally stronger than other types of healing abutments, so they can remain in place once the tissue around the patient's teeth has healed  sufficiently. This type of healing abutment can also be used as a bone shell and steel base to formulate fixed dentures because of their high corrosion resistance. However, these healing abutments require better oxidation properties to maintain a tight seal with second- and third-generation ceramic substrates, which affects the results of the restoration. Therefore, many dentists currently use degradable healing abutments.

（2）Degradable healing abutment

Degradable healing abutments are made of polyester-based materials, which are highly biocompatible. After treating liver and kidney function or elderly patients, degradable healing abutments have become the first choice of doctors. They will naturally separate and dissolve approximately two months after planting. In this way, the complicated surgical process of making and welding the parent-child metal alloy can be eliminated. There are also many benefits for patients. First, they reduce irritation caused by foreign objects in the body and speed healing. Secondly, compared with lifelong healing abutments, degradable healing abutments are more comfortable, more aesthetically pleasing, and will not cause any damage to the patient's surrounding teeth. Another important point is that degradable healing abutments can better match different implant treatment plans and improve surgical results.

3. How long does it take for the healing abutment to be replaced with a permanent abutment?

Since the initial installation of the healing abutment during implant surgery, we need to consider when to replace it with a permanent abutment. At the beginning of implant treatment, we must first conduct a comprehensive examination of the patient's oral condition and his or her own feelings. Generally speaking, it takes at least 3 to 4 months for implants to heal, or even longer. During this time, the healing abutment cannot be replaced with a permanent abutment. This is because the bone tissue around the periodontal ligament must be fully healed to ensure the firmness and ability of the implant to withstand external forces. If the abutment is replaced too early, it may cause the periodontal ligament to become fixed and new ligaments and periodontal tissues to form around the fixed healing abutment to become unstable, which will affect the support capacity and stability of the implant. Therefore, when replacing the healing abutment, the dentist must consider the patient's individual situation comprehensively. Generally speaking, the abutment replacement and repair will be performed after the periodontal ligament has healed and remodeled to form a capillary network.

4. What should I do if the healing abutment falls off? ——Solution to healing abutment detachment

If the healing abutment is not properly operated during the installation process, or due to improper operation during surgery or other environmental factors, it may cause the healing abutment to fall off. If your healing abutment falls off or becomes wobbly, you will need to consult your dentist immediately on how to deal with it. If it falls off soon after implantation, it can usually be simply rearranged by your doctor. Before reinstalling, a detailed analysis of the cause of the detachment must be conducted in order to identify the problem, solve it, and take necessary subsequent measures.

Secondly, if the detachment is due to movement or collapse caused by the patient's excessive chewing force, it may require a longer period of healing and recovery, so please handle it under the guidance of a doctor. For dentists and patients, care must be taken to prevent excessive shaking, cutting, and chewing activities to prevent dislodgement.

  When performing implant surgery, installing a healing abutment is a very important process, which has a great impact on the outcome after implantation. Therefore, when choosing different healing abutments, we need to comprehensively consider the patient's individual situation and different treatment options, and choose the appropriate method.

  After the healing abutment is installed, the doctor needs to replace it with a permanent abutment within an appropriate period of time and check for any problems during the inspection. If the healing abutment accidentally falls off, your doctor will need to take appropriate care and prevent it from happening again.