Healing Abutment
A temporary, non-prosthetic abutment placed on an implant immediately after surgery or at second-stage uncovering to shape and condition the surrounding peri-implant soft tissue.
Full Definition
A healing abutment—also called a cover screw successor, gingival former, or transgingival healing cap—is attached to the implant to emerge through the mucosa and form the soft-tissue cuff through which the final prosthetic components will subsequently pass. It is available in various heights and diameters to match the patient's mucosal thickness and the desired emergence profile. The healing abutment is removed once soft-tissue maturation is complete, typically after four to eight weeks, and is replaced with the final abutment. Editors should not confuse it with a provisional implant or a provisional abutment, both of which support functional temporary restorations.
Usage
Usage note: Do not conflate with cover screw (which sits flush with or below the mucosa in a submerged protocol) or provisional abutment (which retains a temporary restoration).
In Context
- "A 5 mm healing abutment was placed at the time of implant surgery to allow for single-stage, transmucosal healing." — Operative note
- "The article used 'cover screw' and 'healing abutment' interchangeably; the editor standardized to 'healing abutment' throughout, as a cover screw is submerged while a healing abutment is transgingival." — Consistency edit