Healing Abutment

A healing abutment is a special type of abutment designed to facilitate the healing of bone and soft tissue around a dental implant. It takes approximately 4-6 weeks for the gums to heal after a healing abutment is placed, after which a final abutment can be placed. After much research, it was discovered that the material of an implant and its properties — most notably the topography of its surface — plays a significant role in the healing of the tissue around it. Two zones of oral tissue come into contact with healing abutments: fiber-rich connective tissue, and junctional epithelium. These tissues react to the surface texture and chemical composition of the material, and the ability of tissue cells to adhere to the surface of the implant depends largely on the lack of surface contamination and the hydrophilicity of it. While some dental professionals advocate the reuse of healing abutments after sterilization, new abutments should be used for each patient.