Picture this – you are at the dentist and they bring up “healing abutments” as you gear up for dental implants, and you are sitting there wondering what on earth healing abutments are. 

Healing abutments, also called healing caps or a gingival former, are generally recommended when your gums need a little extra support to heal around the implant. The sole purpose of a healing abutment is to promote healing while preventing gum recession. 

Want to learn more about healing abutments and why they are important in your dental implant journey? Keep reading! 

What is a Healing Abutment? 

Dental implants are made up of three components: 

1. The implant post

2. The abutment

3. Dental prosthetic 

The abutment is typically a connector piece that connects the implant post and your new prosthetic teeth in a stable and secure manner. Healing abutments on the other hand are temporary components that are attached to the top of a dental implant after the implant post is surgically inserted into the jawbone. 

The primary function of a healing abutment is to guide the healing process of both the soft and hard tissues surrounding your dental implant. It helps shape and maintain the gum tissue around your implant site into the correct form. 

A healing abutment typically stays in for about 1-4 weeks. However, this depends on individual factors such as the healing process and other specifics of the dental implant procedure. 

What are the Benefits of a Healing Abutment? 

Now, the benefits of healing abutments aren’t just limited to guiding the healing process. They offer multiple benefits that contribute to the success of the dental implant procedure. These include: 

• Promotes Tissue Healing: Healing abutments work wonders in guiding your gum tissue to heal properly around your dental implant. In doing so, it also reduces the risk of complications such as gum inflammation or infections. 

• Improves Aesthetic Outcomes: It helps shape the gum into the correct form, helping create a natural-looking emergence for your prosthetic teeth. In other words, it makes your implant look and feel like a natural part of your smile. 

• Protects Your Implant: Healing abutments also help protect the implant by keeping plaque and debris at bay. This layer of protection it provides helps reduce the risk of infections, enhancing the longevity and success of your implant.

• Reduces Treatment Time: Since healing abutments keep your gum line open, it eliminates the need to reopen the gums for the final abutment, reducing the overall treatment time. 

• Facilitates Oral Hygiene: Healing abutments make it easier for you to clean around the implant site and maintain good oral hygiene. 

How are Healing Abutments Fitted? 

Healing abutments can generally be fitted in two ways: the one-stage approach or the two-stage approach. 

• One-Stage Approach: In this approach, our dentist will place both the implant post and the healing abutment at the same time. So, once the implant post is inserted into the jawbone, we will place the healing cap on it, to protrude slightly above the gum line. The abutment will allow the gum to heal around it as the implant fuses with the jawbone. Once the osseointegration process is complete, the healing cap will be removed and the final abutment and crown will be placed.

• Two-Stage Approach: This approach involves a more gradual process, where the healing abutment is placed after an initial healing phase where the implant fuses with the jawbone. Once healed, our dentist will make a small incision to expose the implant and attach the healing cap. And after a few weeks, we will remove it, making way for the final abutment and dental crown. 

 

There you have it – a complete guide to healing abutments. This tiny device plays a key role in allowing your gums to heal around the abutment while taking the form of a natural-looking gum line. 

Thinking about dental implants? Speak to our friendly team today for more information.