Temporary Cement for my Permanent Implant Crown?

It is common to use temporary cement to cement a dental crown over a dental implant.  Temporary cement with these crowns typically lasts for years, but are easier to remove should the screw loosen that attaches the implant to the abutment.  Should it ever come off you would have it cemented again.  Hope this helps. 

One of the things that's unique about dental implants is that unlike natural teeth, individual parts can often be removed and replaced without the need to replace everything. Years ago, most implant crowns were held in place with a screw, and were easily removed. Today, most implant crowns are cemented into place just like any other crown.
Because implant parts are computer milled and are very accurate, the fit of an implant crown is quite good
and often doesn't require the same type of cement a crown on a natural tooth would. For this reason, some dentists use a softer, temporary type cement on implant crowns, in the hope that they will be easier to remove if it is ever necessary. Not unusual at all.

There are many 'Temporary Cements' one can use to glue in the crown part of a Implant Crown.  Rarely do the crowns come off but if we need to tighten a screw or change the color or fit we have the availablitly to do so with a less adhesive glue. It is a very common practice.

Dear Bonbonmilk:

Temporary and permanent are relative terms and are NOT scientific terminology.  The question is of relative STRENGTH of the cement used.

For natural teeth, usually we try and use the strongest type of cement, and there are several different kinds.  We want to make sure that the cement does not leak out and as a result, the tooth can decay underneath.  In addition, we generally do not want to be able to remove the crown after it is cemented on the tooth.  This is why people refer to it as "permanent" cement.  The correct term should be: final cement.

On implants, since there are components which can loosen (the screw), or break (the abutment), the flexibility of being able to remove the implant crown off of the abutment is desirable.   Hence, most implant crowns are usually cemented with the weakest cement medium possible.  Most dentist use a weak cement which is used as a provisional (temporary) cement on natural teeth, the most popular one is called: Temp-Bond.  This is why most people refer to it as a temporary cement, even though in the case of the implant crown it is the "permanent" one, or more properly: the final cement.

Your dentist is following standard practice.

Best wishes,

Dr. Zev Kaufman

Yes, it is very common to use a "temporary" cement over a "permanent" ement when placing a crown on an implant abutment.  Retrievability is one of the most common reasons.  The abutment is held onto the implant body by a screw.  If the screw breaks, then we would want to have the ability to remove the crown easily so that the screw can be replaced.  Most implant cements are closer in formula and strength to temporary cements just for this reason.

The tolerance or acuracy of fit of the implant crown to the abutment it sits on superior to that of a standard crown cemented to a prepared tooth.  It is this close fit that generally hold the crown, not the cement.  In some cases, I have seen water or saliva bind the crown to the implant abutment.

This isn't a bad thing, but it is a result of how things USED to be.  Since screws don't get loose anymore, we don't NEED to use temporary cement anymore, but it is common and not a big deal.

Different kinds of temporary cement are used for the implant crowns, it`s a common practice. This type of temporary cement is able to hold the crown as a permanent one, so it shouldn`t bring any worries about crown recementation. 

Yes and Yes. It is common practice. Th emiplants has many parts and sometimes, the parts need replacment, tightening, etc... in which case temp cement is better to be used.

Good luck,

Dr.M

 

Yes, this is very common.  Sometimes the "temporary cement" lasts forever.  Sometimes they come out while you are eating.  The idea is to be able to service the implants if we ever need to.  If we can remove the crown we can service the implant.  The abutment screw may become loose and may need to be tightened.  Or an infection may begin to develop around the top of the implant and this is easier to treat if we can remove the crown.  If the crown comes off during normal function we can easily step it up to progressively harder more permanent cements.  This is my protocol.