Indications for Splinting Implant Restorations

The purpose of this article was to review the literature concerning the need to splint implants together when restoring them with a provisional restoration immediately after implant placement. The literature is reviewed concerning the rationale for splinting teeth and reports concerning the efficacy of splinting implants together. Based on this team’s experience with a prospective series of consecutive 2 to 5 unit provisionalization cases, guidelines are included with case examples for understanding the technique. As long as canine guidance is present, and occlusion is stable, multiunit single quadrant restorations do not need to be splinted when provisionalized.