The use of free gingival soft tissue to improve the implant/soft-tissue interface.

Various techniques for the placement of different types of dental implants have evolved to the point where predictable bone-to-implant integration occurs if proper surgical technique is followed. The soft-tissue adaptation to the implant abutment is the first line of defense to prevent the development of peri-implantitis and subsequent bone loss. Given that there is a tenuous protective seal around dental implants, the rationale for soft-tissue augmentation around dental implants to provide an improved, tightly adapted implant/soft-tissue interface definitely exists.