Lowering of the mouth floor and vestibuloplasty to support a mandibular overdenture retained by two implants: a case report

Abstract

In Oral Implantology most of the procedures are predictable and have high success rates. The use of osseointegrated implants as a therapeutic option for the rehabilitation of patients with severe mandibular atrophy has decreased the need for pre-prosthetic surgery Nevertheless, complications may occur during implant surgery and also once the prosthesis has been placed. This paper describes the case of a totally edentulous patient with an upper complete removable denture and an implant-retained overdenture with two implants in the intermentonian region. During clinical examination, the implant abutments were totally covered by soft tissue since the floor of the mouth was elevated. The panoramic radiography showed severe mandibular atrophy. Vestibuloplasty was performed together with the lowering of the floor of the mouth under general anesthesia and nasotracheal intubation to expose the implants. A new prosthesis was fabricated for the patient to prevent recurrence and improve the patient's chewing ability as it formed a physical barrier against soft tissue migration on prosthetic attachments.