Mucosal dehiscence coverage for dental implant using split pouch technique: a two-stage approach [corrected].

PURPOSE: Soft tissue recessions frequently cause esthetic disharmony and dissatisfaction. Compared with soft tissue coverage around a tooth, the coverage of an implant site is obviously unpredictable. Particularly in the cases of thin mucosa, a significant greater amount of recession takes place compared to thick mucosa. To overcome this problem, this case report demonstrates a two-step mucosal dehiscence coverage technique for an endosseous implant.

METHODS: A 33-year-old female visited us with the chief complaint of dissatisfaction with the esthetics of an exposed implant in the maxillary left cental incisor region. A partial-thickness pouch was constructed around the dehiscence. A subepithelial connective tissue graft was positioned in the apical site of the implant and covered by a mucosal flap with normal tension. At 12 months after surgery, the recipient site was partially covered by keratinized mucosa. However, the buccal interdental papilla between implant on maxillary left central incisor region and adjacent lateral incisor was concave in shape. To resolve the mucosal recession after the first graft, a second graft was performed with the same technique.

RESULTS: An esthetically satisfactory result was achieved and the marginal soft tissue level was stable 9 months after the second graft.

CONCLUSIONS: The second graft was able to resolve the mucosal recession after first graft. This two-step approach has the potential to improve the certainty of esthetic results.