Surgical Management of Peri-implant Soft Tissue Color Mismatch Caused by Shine-Through Effects of Restorative Materials: One-Year Follow-up

Abstract

Thin facial soft tissue may lead to visible soft tissue discoloration around implants and therefore to esthetic deficiencies. The aim of this article is to present a surgical approach to peri-implant soft tissue discoloration caused by the shinethrough effects of restorative materials in the anterior maxilla. A clinical case is used to illustrate the approach. A minimally invasive tunneling approach and connective tissue graft are used. The optical outcome is documented in an objective and standardized manner using a spectrophotometer after a follow-up of 12 months. The presented technique clearly improved the clinical condition and esthetic outcome. Spectrophotometric follow-up revealed a soft tissue color difference between the implant and adjacent tooth (control) that was clearly less than initially presented. In the area 3 mm apical to the soft tissue margin, this difference was beneath the clinically perceptible threshold of 3.7.