DENTAL IMPLANT SYSTEM HAVING ENHANCED SOFT-TISSUE GROWTH FEATURES

A dental implant system including an implant and an abutment is disclosed. The implant includes a generally cylindrical body, a central axis, a distal end for anchoring in a patient's bone and a proximal end opposing the distal end. The proximal end includes a roughened lateralized surface that surrounds an abutment-engaging region. The lateralized surface is disposed at a negative slope relative to the central axis. The abutment includes an upper portion for supporting a tooth-like prosthesis and a lower portion for engaging the abutment-engaging region of the dental implant. The diameter of the lower portion of the abutment is smaller than the diameter of the implant at its proximal end. The lower portion includes a first surface with a soft-tissue enhancing material. The first surface and the lateralized surface defining a circumferentially extending recess having a V-shaped cross-section for receiving and attachment to the soft tissue.