Gingival Open-Wound to increase keratinized tissue in implant rehabilitation - A Technical Note

Abstract

Keratinized tissue augmentation around implants guarantees long-term success and maintenance of implant rehabilitations. Free gingival grafting is often described as the gold standard, especially when dealing with limited residual keratinized tissue height. Traditionally, an epithelio-conjunctive graft is harvested, either on the palate or the tuberosity, to reconstruct the missing keratinized soft tissues. This article introduces an innovative approach to increase keratinized tissue around implants, benefiting from second-intention gingival healing. This original surgical approach is interesting because it does not involve autogenous grafting or biomaterials. Its main goals are to enhance predictability while reducing the numerous per and post-operative risks related to autogenous harvesting. The success of this technique depends on the observance of fundamental principles: protection against bacterial contamination (immunocompetence of the patient), phenotypic induction (preoperative presence of keratinized tissue), space maintenance, and stabilization of flaps.