"The Soft Block": Treating Severe Recessions Around Dental Implants - Part 1 of 2
Severe recessions around implants is a common issue. Filipe Lopes & Bernardo Mira Correa will try to present simple algorithms and biological ways for trying to solve this kind of clinical challenge, other than implant explantation that must be also, and so many times, considered as the first choice. This is intended to be the first of a series of posts on the subject. We will feature different soft tissue management strategies, including autologous grafts and alloderm. We will underline the importance of: diagnosis,PRGF ENDORET® graft, type of implant, grafting technique to use and allografts that can possibly help us on some challenging situations. At the end we will try to provide for a simpler treatment algorithm, that has been of good service for us, for some years now.

How can we best manage the Labial Aspect of Anterior Implants?
The most common complications related to treatment planning, implant surgical procedures and implant prosthetic procedures will be reviewed. Complications may start with patient evaluation, patient expectation, hard tissue volume, soft tissue thickness, implant selection and diameter. Surgical complications including bone grafting techniques, soft tissue management and 3-dimensional implant placement will be reviewed. A suggested protocol before, during and after implant placement will be suggested to optimize results.

Partial Extraction Therapies: From Failure to Everyday Practice - Part 1 of 4
Tooth extraction is usually followed by the resorption of support tissues that may compromise the aesthetic and functional prognosis of the final rehabilitation. There have been numerous publications suggesting Partial Extraction Therapies contribute to the maintenance of the alveolar ridge dimensions. These techniques consist in intentionally preserving a buccal root fragment in order to avoid tearing the periodontal ligament and loosing the bundle bone, which leads to bone resorption. It has been reported that these are very sensitive techniques and may lead to some complications. In order to avoid these complications, the dental surgeon must know which cases can be treated with Partial Extraction Therapies and how to correctly perform them. In these presentations we will show what are the indications and contraindications, how to perform these techniques, the literature that sustains it, how can we benefit from digital technology to today's world, etc.

Creative Ridge Expansion Solutions Utilizing Ultrasonic Technologies
Management of the narrow ridge is a common challenge in modern prosthetically-driven implant dentistry. Treatment using a simple and highly predictable procedure for alveolar ridge expansion can be employed using new techniques and technologies which will be introduced on this presentation.

Fibrin-Guided Bone Regeneration: Guidelines of a Simple, Predictable, & Low Risk Technique
This lecture is focused on an effective regenerative approach, but at low knowledge. The goal is to provide a new skill in favor of well-established techniques. The Fibrin Sealant (FS) is an additional clot of human origin. It has adhesive, sealant and inductive action stimulating hard and soft-tissue regeneration. The FS, mixed with bone chips and biomaterials, allows a better handling of the graft that, becoming plastic and moldable, adapts perfectly to bony defects without dispersion of granules. It’s effective also on wound protection achieving a faster healing of soft-tissue. This approach is excellent in the socket preservation and in the peri-implant regeneration on "closed" sites where the implants are inside the defects.

Digital Dentistry in the Management of Simple and Complex Cases: The Digital Intra-Scanner
The advent of new technologies has enabled the utilization of new materials and equipment that facilitate the production of restorations with an accuracy that has, up to now, been difficult to obtain reliably. This lecture utilizes patient presentations to help analyze and highlight new systematic clinical protocols that have been developed to optimize the evolving knowledge in digital dentistry and materials. These protocols have allowed us to modify work flow and operational techniques to shorten lead times, while maintaining optimal accuracy. Advantages and disadvantages of the methods outlined will be evaluated and analyzed on the basis of existing literature and personal experience.

Computer-Generated Abutment Using A Coded Healing Abutment: A Two-Year Preliminary Report
This article presents a preliminary clinical evaluation following the placement of 107 dental implants covered with computer-coded healing abutments. The healing abutment system evaluated herein provided information to specific computer software that facilitated the delivery of an anatomical definitive abutment. This system also assisted in the development of a titanium abutment whose characteristics mimicked the natural contours of the teeth being replaced. A two-year postoperative evaluation was performed to evaluate occlusion, gingival integrity, contact areas, inflammation, food impaction, porcelain integrity, radiographic condition and overall patient satisfaction. Improved tissue response and resultant aesthetics were observed.

Immediate Occlusal Loading (IOL) of Dental Implants: Predictable Results Through DIEM Guidelines
In recent years, the immediate loading of dental implants has become more accepted as a standard protocol for the treatment of the fully edentulous mandible. The pioneers in implant dentistry often tried this technique but only achieved mixed success. One of the main reasons for the failure of these early attempts was the lack of understanding of the biological and mechanical principles that we now know are necessary for clinical success.

The Pontic-Shield: Partial Extraction Therapy for Implant Dentistry
Augmentive ridge preservation techniques aim to manage the postextraction ridge. The partial extraction of teeth may better preserve the ridge form by maintaining the bundle bone-periodontal tissues and preserve the ridge beneath dentures or fixed prostheses. The socket-shield technique entails preparing a tooth root section simultaneous to immediate implant placement and has demonstrated histologic and clinical results contributory to esthetic implant treatment. A retrospective 10-patient case series treating 14 partial extraction sites demonstrates how a modification of the socket-shield technique can successfully develop pontic sites and preserve the ridge.