The “Loma Linda Stent ”: A Screw-retained Resin Stent

Abstract

This article describes a technique in which an acellular dermal allograft is used in combination with a photopolymerized acrylic resin stent to increase the zone of keratinized tissue around osseointegrated dental implants. During the second-stage surgery, a split thickness labial flap is reflected and apically repositioned by being sutured onto the periosteum and connective tissue. The acellular dermal allograft is then sutured onto the recipient site. The acrylic resin is trimmed and secured with temporary abutments to the implants, fitting passively over the graft and then photopolymerized intraorally. The stent is left for 1 week to secure the graft in place. This technique offers an alternative mucogingival procedure for increasing the zone of keratinized tissue around osseointegrated dental implants.

Vestibuloplasty: Porcine Collagen Matrix Versus Free Gingival Graft: A Clinical and Histologic Study

“…To meet current treatment guidelines, grafts were additionally covered with a vestibular retention splint 12 . The incorporation of an implant‐fixed vestibular retention splint is used to protect the grafted area, prevent muscle reattachment, and, therefore, prevent postoperative decline in vestibular depth 4,8,17,18 . The authors decided to use the vestibular retention splint primarily as protection for the grafts because of the lack of knowledge concerning the properties of the CM.…”

“…They concluded that applying the retention splint after vestibuloplasty minimized the tendency for graft shrinkage and recommended the implant‐supported splint for temporary protection until it was possible to place a definitive implant‐retained prosthesis. Additional studies that used a retention splint after mucogingival surgery reported removal after 3 to 14 days 17,18,20,21 . Currently, there is no consensus in the literature for the length of time a vestibular splint should be worn after vestibuloplasty.…”

“…12 The incorporation of an implant-fixed vestibular retention splint is used to protect the grafted area, prevent muscle reattachment, and, therefore, prevent postoperative decline in vestibular depth. 4,8,17,18 The authors decided to use the vestibular retention splint primarily as protection for the grafts because of the lack of knowledge concerning the properties of the CM. Furthermore, it can be assumed that the used vestibular retention splint not only functioned as graft protection but also had a preventive effect on reinsertion of vestibular muscle fibers.…”

“…Additional studies that used a retention splint after mucogingival surgery reported removal after 3 to 14 days. 17,18,20,21 Currently, there is no consensus in the literature for the length of time a vestibular splint should be worn after vestibuloplasty. The authors suggest that the retention period should be a sufficient length of time to allow complete epithelialization of the area.…”

Thermoplastic Vestibuloplasty: A Novel Technique for Treatment of Lip and Cheek Adhesion

“…All these factors disabled these techniques and inhibited their further popularization. 10,11 In this study, we devised a simple, cheap, retentive, highly tolerable, and stable method-which we termed thermoplastic vestibuloplasty (TV)-to overcome the inherent disadvantages of the previously mentioned methods. The TV technique depends on aggressive removal of scarred tissues, creating the appropriate vestibular dimension followed by applying a specially prefabricated thermoplastic sheet and hence, we made use of the unprecedented mucosal capabilities to reepithelialize the opposing connective tissue surfaces.…”