Cement-Retained Implant Crowns: Custom Abutment Design & Manufacturing

Product Specifications

Available Materials

Abutment Options

• Custom CAD/CAM abutment — designed per case for angulation correction, emergence control, and margin placement
• Ti-base hybrid abutment — industrially manufactured implant interface + custom-contoured upper structure
• Stock abutment — pre-manufactured profile; crown absorbs the contour difference

Retention Method Variants

• Cemented — crown cemented onto abutment; requires ≥4 mm effective abutment height
• Screw-retained — crown held by screw through occlusal access; no cement
• Screwmentable — crown cemented onto screw-accessed framework; combines retrievability with continuous contour

When Cemented Retention Is the Right Choice

Indications & Suitability Assessment

A cement-retained implant crown works best when these conditions are met:

• Adequate effective abutment height — ≥4 mm of axial wall above the crown margin, with ≤6° taper
• Platform position allows margin access — supragingival or near-tissue-level placement is feasible
• Aesthetic priority favors continuous contour — screw access channel would compromise occlusal surface or land in the aesthetic zone
• Patient accepts the maintenance protocol — understands residual cement risk and commits to follow-up verification

Contraindications & When to Switch to Screw Retention

Cement retention becomes unpredictable or inadvisable when:

• Insufficient abutment height — effective height below ≈4 mm (insufficient bonding surface)
• Deep submucosal margin — margin >2–3 mm below tissue, making cement retrieval unreliable
• Compromised access for verification — posterior position, limited mouth opening, or patient cooperation concern
• Future retrievability priority — case may require later modification (e.g., abutment angulation change, occlusal adjustment beyond what cemented retention allows)
• History of peri-implant complications — previous case with excess cement or chronic soft tissue inflammation

We perform this assessment at design stage. If your submitted scan shows a contraindication, we contact you before cutting the case and recommend either a design modification (margin repositioning, abutment height adjustment) or a switch to screw retention.

Residual Cement Control: Our Protocol & What You Receive

Why Excess Cement Is the Primary Failure Mode

Cement left below the margin is the documented pathway to peri-implant disease in cemented crowns. Clinical evidence shows that deeper margins correlate with greater volumes of undetected excess, and that residue can remain undetected for months to years. The risk is design-controllable: margin position, cementation technique, and verification protocol together determine how much excess stays behind.

What We Design Into the Case

1. Margin position documented and verified — CAD design shows margin location relative to tissue; we flag cases where the design places the margin >2 mm submucosal
2. Emergence profile designed for access — transmucosal contour allows instrument access to the full circumference of the margin
3. Retentive height optimized to threshold — we build to the maximum effective height the scan allows, so cement load can be kept minimal

What Ships With Every Cemented Crown

Each case includes a single-page cementation protocol card with these steps:

1. Dry fit first — seat the crown dry and confirm margin position before any cement is dispensed
2. Isolation — retraction cord or equivalent; the cleaner the margin access, the more excess you will retrieve
3. Cement loading — load cement into the crown only, not onto the abutment; keep the volume deliberate
4. Controlled seating — seat under controlled pressure and hold to full seating; verify seating radiographically
5. Excess removal timing — remove gross excess before set (where the material allows) or after set with the appropriate instrument
6. Verification — visual confirmation of margin cleanliness, plus radiographic verification where the margin is submucosal

This is a working checklist, not a clinical instruction. The cementation decision remains yours; we provide the protocol as the procedure that clinical studies show reduces residual cement.

What We Will Not Do

We will not accept a case with a design that makes excess cement retrieval unreliable—specifically, a margin >3 mm submucosal without radiographic verification planned, or a severely over-contoured emergence profile that buries the margin. If the submitted scan shows either, we contact you at design stage and either adjust the design or recommend screw retention.

Design Parameters & Technical Requirements

Effective Abutment Height

The working threshold is ≥4 mm of axial wall above the crown margin, with ≤6° taper. Below 4 mm, cement retention becomes unpredictable; we recommend screw retention or a design change.

Restorative Space Requirements

• Cemented single crown: ≈7–8 mm total (transmucosal tissue + abutment + cement film + crown material)
• Screw-retained: less space needed (no bonded surface requirement)

When space is short, we can:

1. Reduce abutment wall height (if remaining height stays above threshold)
2. Move margin coronally (custom abutment only)
3. Change crown material to thinner-walling option
4. Switch to screw-retained design

Margin Placement

• Supragingival or at tissue level — preferred for retrievability and cement verification
• Subgingival — acceptable where aesthetic requirement demands it; requires radiographic verification protocol
• Deep submucosal (>3 mm) — we flag at design stage and recommend modification or screw retention

Manufacturing Process

One Facility, End-to-End Production

Every stage is performed in our own facility: CAD design, milling, ceramic work, finishing, and inspection. Nothing is outsourced to third-party labs. Implant cases are handled by a dedicated 80-person implant team.

Three-Gate Inspection

Every case passes three independent inspection gates before release:

1. Post-CAD design review — geometry, margin, occlusion
2. Post-milling dimensional check — fit, wall thickness, emergence
3. Final quality control — shade, glaze, occlusion, packaging

First-pass acceptance rate: 95% (cases passing all three gates without remake)

Traceability

Each case ships with:

• Material record — brand, origin, lot number, manufacturer's certificate
• Production record — CAD file version, milling date, technician ID
• Inspection log — three-gate sign-off with inspector ID

Records are kept for the regulatory minimum retention period and are available on request.

Turnaround & Capacity

Standard Turnaround

• Routine cases: 5–7 working days from scan receipt to shipment
• Rush cases: 2–3 days (advance notice required; capacity limited)

Rush Scheduling

Rush capacity is allocated by case complexity:

• Simple single crown: 1-hour rush available (same-day delivery if received before cutoff)
• Complex aesthetic case: 7–8 hours minimum
• Multi-unit or full-arch: 12+ hours

Rush requests are confirmed at time of submission; we do not accept a rush designation after the case enters production.

Production Capacity

Our fixed-restoration line produces approximately:

• 8,000–15,000 zirconia single units per month (seasonal variation)
• 2,000–3,000 bridges per month
• 20–40 All-on-X frameworks per month

Implant crowns are produced on the same line by the dedicated implant team. We do not quote a separate implant-crown volume figure because capacity is shared with the fixed-restoration pool.

Case Submission Requirements

Digital Workflow

1. Intraoral scan with scan body in place
2. Scan body library — name, model, version
3. Implant system information — brand, platform, connection type
4. Prescription — retention method, material, margin position, shade, occlusion

Physical Workflow

1. Model with implant analog seated
2. Clear impression showing margin and soft tissue contour
3. Photographs — soft tissue contour, occlusion, shade reference
4. Prescription — retention method, material, margin position, shade, occlusion

Prescription Essentials

State the following on every case:

• Retention method: cemented / screw-retained / screwmentable
• Material: zirconia / e.max / PFM / layered zirconia
• Margin position: supragingival / tissue-level / subgingival (depth in mm)
• Shade: Vita or custom
• Turnaround: routine / rush (specify deadline)

A downloadable Rx checklist is available in the documentation section below.

Regulatory & Documentation

FDA Registration (U.S. Market)

We hold current FDA establishment registration with device listing for custom restorations exported to the United States. The listing covers custom abutments, implant-supported frameworks, crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, veneers, dentures, and temporary restorations. It does not cover the dental implant fixture, which we do not manufacture.

Registration and listing can be verified in the FDA's public database.

EU Market (MDR Compliance)

We work through a European authorised representative and file custom-device notifications under MDR Annex XIII, with devices recorded in EUDAMED.

ISO 13485 Certification

The laboratory operates to ISO 13485. Certificates and declarations are available in English on request.

Warranty & Remake Policy

What Is Covered

• Manufacturing defect — crack, void, delamination, incorrect material, dimensional error
• Shade mismatch — where the delivered shade does not match the prescription and no revision was requested
• Fit failure — where the restoration does not seat on the submitted model or scan, and no modification was made chairside

What Is Not Covered

• Cement failure — retention depends on cementation technique; we supply the protocol card but do not control execution
• Biologic complication — peri-implant disease, soft tissue reaction, bone loss
• Damage after delivery — adjustment, try-in force, patient function

Remake Turnaround

Covered remakes are produced on a priority schedule: 2–3 days from receipt of the case or the revised scan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I specify a particular implant system brand? Yes. We handle the major implant systems (Straumann, Nobel Biocare, MIS, and others). Send the brand, platform, and connection type with your prescription.

Do you accept trial cases? Yes. A single case is a perfectly reasonable way to start. No account setup or minimum order is required for a trial.

What happens if the submitted scan shows insufficient space? We contact you at design stage and tell you which alternatives remain feasible: reducing abutment height, moving the margin, changing the crown material, or switching to screw retention.

Can you rush an aesthetic anterior case? Yes, but the minimum turnaround for a complex aesthetic case is 7–8 hours. Rush capacity is limited; confirm availability when you submit the case.

Do you provide the cementation protocol? Yes. A single-page protocol card ships with every cemented crown. It covers isolation, cement loading, seating, excess removal, and verification.

What if I need to convert a cemented crown to screw-retained later? Conversion is technically possible but requires fabricating a new screw-retained restoration. The original crown cannot be retrofitted. Plan the retention method at the outset where retrievability may matter.

Can I visit the lab? Yes. Factory visits and technical audits are accepted by appointment. The facility is located in Shenzhen and Huizhou, China.

How do I get the material certificates for a specific case? Material records (brand, origin, lot number, certificate) ship with every case. If you need a replacement copy, send the case number and we will re-issue the documentation.

What is your record retention policy? Production and material records are kept for the regulatory minimum retention period. We do not publish the specific duration publicly, but records are available on request while retained.

Do you manufacture the dental implant fixture? No. We manufacture the abutment and the crown only. The implant fixture is supplied by the implant system manufacturer.