ABSTRACT
Implant restoration ; Provisional restoration ; Healing abutment ; Esthetic zone ; Esthetic outcomes@#To compare the esthetic outcomes of peri-implant soft tissue conditioning with provisional restorations and healing abutments.@*Methods @#A total of 48 patients missing a single tooth in the esthetic zone were chosen for the present study and divided into two groups. Twenty-six patients in Group A used provisional restorations to condition the peri-implant soft tissue before final restorations, while 22 patients in Group B used healing abutments to condition the soft tissue. All patients were evaluated by pink esthetic scores (PESs) at the time of the final restoration and at a 1-year follow-up. @*Results@#A total of 26 implants in Group A and 22 implants in Group B showed good peri-implant soft tissue condition. PESs at the time of the final restoration and at the 1-year follow-up in Group A were 8.18 and 8.35, respectively, and 6.73 and 8.18 in Group B, respectively. PESs at the time of final restoration and at the 1-year follow-up were not significantly different in Group A but were significantly different in Group B. The PESs of the two groups were significantly different at the final restoration but were not significantly different at the 1-year follow-up. @*Conclusions @#Provisional restoration in the esthetic zone can improve the pink esthetic effect when permanent restoration.