Vestibular Incision Sub-Periosteal Tunnel Access Technique around Dental Implants in the Aesthetic Zone

Abstract

Introduction: Since the early days of the discovery of dental implants, there has been a substantial paradigm shift from placing implants in edentulous ridges to rehabilitating the most complex cases in the aesthetic zone. In the initial periods the main focus was solely concentrated on the quality and quantity of the hard tissue however passing of time has evidently revealed that soft tissue has a significant importance especially in the aesthetic zone. The advent of many complications along with dental implants in this area draw attention of most clinicians regarding the importance of the soft tissue. The use of reliable techniques to improve the aesthetic outcomes in the aesthetic zone is an important clinical aid to advance the results over time. There has been many different surgical techniques in the literature, which so far there has been no adequate reason to prove one of the treatment approaches the most effective and predictable. Case Report: Vestibular sub-periosteal tunnel access (VISTA) approach has been used in three clinical cases in order to enhance the quality and quantity of soft tissue around dental implants in the esthetic zone. Results: This technique had an advantage of having the incision line in a remote area from the marginal mucosa which supports preserving the integrity of this critical area during the surgical procedure. Conclusion: VISTA technique is a viable technique for soft tissue enhancement around dental implants especially in the aesthetic zone where both the quality and quantity of the soft tissue play an important role for the long term prognosis of the implants.