Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

XXXXX a6 Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | June 2014 Industry News Ad By Michael McCracken, DDS, PhD, and Jonathan P. Ouellette, DMD F ixed hybrid dentures have been used to successfully restore fully edentulous patients for decades. Their durability, however, leaves room for improvement. There are three issues that can complicate the long-term success of the traditional fixed hybrid denture: The acrylic teeth tend to wear; the teeth can fracture or dislodge from the acrylic base; and the acrylic base it- self can fracture. The BruxZir® Full-Arch Implant Prosthesis (Glidewell Laborato- ries, Newport Beach, Calif.) eliminates these issues, providing a restoration that is more durable in the long term, while sacrificing nothing when it comes to es- thetics. Milled from a single block of BruxZir Solid Zirconia — an exceptionally fracture-resistant material that exhib- its flexural strength up to 1465 MPa — this fixed prosthesis utilizes advanced staining and glazing techniques, col- oring the prosthetic teeth to closely Figs. 1a, b: The patient presented with six maxillary and five mandibular implants that were fully integrated and ready for restoration. Photos/Provided by Glidewell Laboratories Restoring the edentulous arch with BruxZir full-arch implant prosthesis Fig. 2: The provisional prostheses fit well and afforded the patient a trial period to evaluate the proposed restoration for esthetics and function over a period of weeks. Note that the gingival shade was adjusted for the fabrication of the final restoration. mimic natural dentition and the gingival areas to match the shade of the patient’s soft tissue. Case report The patient is a 58-year-old male with no contraindications for implant treat- ment. The patient had a total of 11 Bio- Horizons® Internal Hex implants (Bio- Horizons; Birmingham, Ala.) placed, including six in the maxilla and five in the mandible (Figs. 1a, b). The implants integrated for over six months, and the patient presented for restoration of his edentulous arches. First, preliminary impressions of the implants were made. After remov- ing the healing abutments, closed-tray impression copings were seated. The impressions were made in stock plas- tic trays, and the impression copings were placed back into the impressions before the case was sent off to the labo- ratory. The laboratory poured casts from the Fig. 3: The patient was extremely satisfied with the function and esthetics of the final restoration, which fit perfectly thanks to the precision of the CAD/CAM design process and the confirmation provided during the provisional trial period. ” See ARCH, page A7 AGD BOOTH NO. 203