Immediate Restoration of Immediate Implants in the Esthetic Zone of the Maxilla Via the Copy-Abutment Technique: 5-Year Follow-Up of Pink Esthetic Scores

BackgroundImplant esthetics may benefit from individualized zirconia abutments copying the emergence profile of the natural tooth and delivered within days after immediate implant insertion. PurposeTo investigate the esthetic outcome of the Copy-Abutment technique using the Pink Esthetic Score (PES). Materials and MethodsA total of 77 patients with single-tooth implants in the anterior maxilla restored at the day of immediate implant placement using Copy-Abutments and provisional crowns were followed-up after 1 week, 1 month, 4 months, 6 months, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years to assess implant esthetics. ResultsPES ranged between 7 and 14 (median: 13) and improved significantly between the 6 month and 1 year follow-up (p<.001), then remained stable up to the fifth year. Significant improvement was seen for the variables PES-6 soft tissue color (p=.002) and PES-7 soft tissue texture (p<.001) up to the 1 year follow-up, while PES-5 alveolar process deficiency deteriorated (p=.016). Mean mucosal recession was 0.260.86 mm (range: 0-1.6) after 5 years and not related to gingival biotype. ConclusionCopy-Abutments for immediate restoration of implants in the esthetic zone show satisfactory long-term esthetic outcomes.