In these difficult economic times practitioners and patients are looking for cost-effective implant solutions that deliver an excellent result without costing the earth. There are all kinds of options available to restore an implant and often labs and dentists are tempted to use cheaper, non-system specific parts to try and reduce costs, however this usually results in a poorly fitting connection between the implant and abutment, which in turn risks the overall success of the restoration.
Recent research (table 1) comparing the rotational misfit between original abutments on original implants and non-original abutments on original implants highlights some interesting findings.
The non-original abutments differed in the design of the connecting surfaces, shape, dimensions and material and had a higher rotational misfit. It is suggested that all these differences may result in unexpected failure modes and may have an effect on clinical handling. Conversely the study found that the interface with the original Straumann abutment on the original Straumann implant was the most precise connection.
As a business we have always tried to meet our clients needs without compromising on quality and this is one of the reasons we have adopted the use of the new Straumann Variobase abutment.
This new abutment can be used on either bone level or tissue level implants and delivers a cost-effective solution for screw-retained single crowns. Consisting of a customised coping and a machined abutment with four cams to significantly enlarge the bonding surface, the final restoration of choice is bonded in the lab to the abutment with a high degree of accuracy, ready to be screwed in to place by the clinician.
As the design is so small, (Straumann Variobase is only 3.5mm in height and 2.8–3.3mm in diameter) it gives me all the design flexibility that I need without compromising the performance and allows the abutment to be used in the majority of single tooth cases.
The abutment can be used in the in-lab workflow of choice (conventional wax-up & casting, in-lab milling and pressing). It can be used with a variety of materials and for a variety of indications.
Thus, it allows users to choose the most cost-efficient way of making a high-quality customised abutment with the original Straumann implant connection.
The four cams on the abutment give a very tight fit between the restoration and the base, delivering the locking effect between the cams on the abutment and the cement. This makes the whole cementing process very easy and controlled and I do not have to worry about the abutment and restoration coming apart after cementing. We have restored over 50 cases using the Straumann Variobase and it is our abutment of choice on Straumann single screw-retained crowns. It offers a predictable and cost-effective solution and my clients enjoy the fact that they will always have access to the screw and they don’t need to clean up any cement. I’m sure this is the future trend in implant dentistry.
References available on request