PEEK
Pronunciation: peek
Also written as: PEEK — Polyether Ether Ketone
Polyether ether ketone; a high-performance thermoplastic polymer used to fabricate dental implant abutments, healing components, and provisional restorations.
Full Definition
PEEK (polyether ether ketone) is a semi-crystalline polymer with high strength, biocompatibility, and tooth-like elasticity modulus, making it a popular material for implant abutments, temporary crowns, and framework structures. Editors must render the acronym as 'PEEK' (all capitals) and avoid expanding it incorrectly as 'polyether-ether-ketone' (hyphenated) versus the unhyphenated form, as the ISO designation is 'polyether ether ketone.' In materials science manuscripts, editors must verify whether the author distinguishes between standard PEEK and reinforced variants such as carbon-fibre-reinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK). The material's translucency is often cited as an aesthetic advantage over titanium abutments, a claim that should be supported by referenced data.
Usage
Usage note: Always capitalise as PEEK. Do not hyphenate the full form: 'polyether ether ketone,' not 'polyether-ether-ketone.'
In Context
- "PEEK healing abutments were used to minimize metal show-through in the anterior aesthetic zone." — Prosthodontic case report
- "The manuscript inconsistently hyphenated 'polyether-ether-ketone'; the ISO-preferred 'polyether ether ketone' was applied throughout." — Materials science article copy-edit