Cement-retained

The term cement-retained refers to the use of dental cement for the retention of a prosthesis to an abutment or to the transmucosal portion of a one-piece dental implant. The use of cement in retaining an implant is common in dentistry and has a number of advantages. First, it allows for the correction of improperly angled implants or prostheses. By creating a slope in the cement, a dental professional can compensate for the incorrect incline thus making the entire implant level. Second, unlike the screw-retained structure, the cement-retained structure lacks a screw access channel which provides more occlusal control by providing an intact occlusal table. However, the use of cement in implant retention does have disadvantages as well, the greatest being the complications associated with excess cement. Any excess cement around the implant or prosthesis that has not been properly removed can lead to patient complications such as peri-implantitis.