Sequential intraoral cementation for enhancing the retrievability of implant-supported fixed dental prostheses with screw access holes

Abstract

While innovative designs combining the advantages of screw and cement retention provide both retrievability and passive fit for implant-supported fixed dental prostheses, retrieval becomes challenging with nonparallel implants because of deeper hexagon engagement and antirotational features. This dental technique introduces a sequential intraoral cementation approach to address this limitation. The technique involves engaging each abutment to its hexagon intraorally by cementing the prosthesis first to the most angled implant, removing it extraorally to clean excess cement, and modifying the abutment hexagon into a nonengaging type. Subsequently, the remaining prosthesis is cemented to favorably angled abutments, ensuring both passivity and retrievability. This approach compensates for fabrication discrepancies and enhances the retrievability of these prostheses involving implants with varying angulations, ultimately improving patient comfort and long-term prosthesis maintenance. (J