Gunseli Sila Sahin¹*, Ozgur Dagal² and Arzu Zeynep Yildirim³

¹Research Assistant, Department of Prosthodontics, Gazi University, Turkey
²Research Assistant, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Gazi University, Turkey
³Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Gazi University, Turkey

*Corresponding Author: Günseli Sıla Şahin, Research Assistant, Department of Prosthodontics, Gazi University, Turkey.

Received: September 18, 2025; Published: October 13, 2025

Abstract

Loss of the interdental papilla, often due to adjacent bone resorption, may lead to black triangles, food impaction, and phonetic issues, thereby negatively affecting oral health–related quality of life and requires careful management. A 45-year-old systemically healthy female patient presented with non-restorable maxillary right central incisor (#11) due to mobility. Immediate implant placement (Medentika GmbH, Hügelsheim, Germany) with bone grafting was performed in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department. Due to insufficient primary stability, the extracted tooth’s crown was splinted to adjacent anterior teeth to ensure patient’s esthetic comfort and support gingival contouring. After three months of osseointegration, a provisional polymethyl methacrylate crown was fabricated using Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing technology and screw-retained on a polyether-ether-ketone abutment to better shape the emergence profile in the anterior esthetic region. This case report demonstrates an effective approach to soft tissue shaping in situations where immediate implant loading is not indicated.

Keywords: Dental Papilla; Single-Tooth Dental Implant; Emergence Profile; Peek Abutment; Provisional Crown

References

1. Ikbal A., et al. “Black triangle and vitiated esthetic vis-à-vis management: a review”. The Traumaxilla1-3 (2022): 26-31.
2. Cardaropoli G., et al. “Tissue alterations at implant-supported single-tooth replacements: a 1-year prospective clinical study”. Clinical Oral Implants Research 2 (2006): 165-171.
3. Araújo MG., et al. “Alveolar socket healing: what can we learn?” Periodontology1 (2015): 122-134.
4. Portal-Solera A and B Pardal-Peláez. “Survival and Marginal Bone Loss in Immediate Post-Extraction Implants versus Delayed Implants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”. Oral 3 (2024): 325-342.
5. Rehberger Bescos F., et al. “Marginal bone loss and associated factors in immediate dental implants: a retrospective clinical study”. International Journal of Implant Dentistry 1 (2025): 25.
6. Chang M., et al. “Implant supported single-tooth replacements compared to contralateral natural teeth. Crown and soft tissue dimensions”. Clinical Oral Implants Research 3 (1999): 185-194.
7. De Rouck T., et al. “The gingival biotype revisited: transparency of the periodontal probe through the gingival margin as a method to discriminate thin from thick gingiva”. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 5 (2009): 428-433.
8. Romeo E., et al. “Surgical and prosthetic management of interproximal region with single-implant restorations: 1-year prospective study”. Journal of Periodontology 6 (2008): 1048-1055.
9. Kois JC and JY Kan. “Predictable peri-implant gingival aesthetics: surgical and prosthodontic rationales”. Practical Procedures in Aesthetic Dentistry 9 (2001): 691-698.
10. Gervyte J., et al. “Emergence profile management in the esthetic zone”. Stomatologija 2 (2023): 47-54.
11. Huynh-Ba G., et al. “Immediate loading vs. early/conventional loading of immediately placed implants in partially edentulous patients from the patients' perspective: A systematic review”. Clinical Oral Implants Research 16 (2018): 255-269.
12. Fernandes D., et al. “Effect of customized healing abutments on the peri-implant linear and volumetric tissue changes at maxillary immediate implant sites: A 1-year prospective randomized clinical trial”. Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research 5 (2023): 745-757.
13. Kan JYK., et al. “Immediate implant placement and provisionalization of maxillary anterior single implants”. Periodontology 20001 (2018): 197-212.
14. Noelken R., et al. “Immediate and flapless implant insertion and provisionalization using autogenous bone grafts in the esthetic zone: 5-year results”. Clinical Oral Implants Research 3 (2018): 320-327.
15. Gonzalez-Martin O., et al. “Contour Management of Implant Restorations for Optimal Emergence Profiles: Guidelines for Immediate and Delayed Provisional Restorations”. International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry 1 (2020): 61-70.
16. Parate KP., et al. “Polyetheretherketone Material in Dentistry”. Cureus 15.10 (2023): e46485.
17. Pardal-Pelaez B., et al. “Implant loss and crestal bone loss in immediate versus delayed load in edentulous mandibles: A systematic review and meta-analysis”. Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry 3 (2021): 437-444.
18. Pandey C., et al. “Contemporary Concepts in Osseointegration of Dental Implants: A Review”. BioMed Research International 2022 (2022):
19. Schoenbaum TR and S Alawie. “Emergence profile of the implant abutment and its effects on the peri-implant tissues, in Implants in the Aesthetic Zone: A Guide for Treatment of the Partially Edentulous Patient (2018): 235-246.
20. Sun TC and TK Chang. “Soft tissue management around dental implant in esthetic zone - the current concepts and novel techniques”. Journal of Dental Sciences 3 (2024): 1348-1358.
21. Grizas E., et al. “A detailed decision tree to create, preserve, transfer, and support the emergence profile in anterior maxillary implants using custom abutments”. Quintessence International 5 (2018): 349-364.
22. Kan JY., et al. “Flapless anterior implant surgery: a surgical and prosthodontic rationale”. Practical Periodontics and Aesthetic Dentistry 5 (2000): 467-474.

Citation

Citation: Gunseli Sila Sahin.,et al. “Clinical Management of Soft Tissue Contours Around a Single-Tooth Implant in the Anterior Maxilla: A Case Report".Acta Scientific Dental Sciences 9.10 (2025): 72-77.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Gunseli Sila Sahin.,et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.