Implant-supported overdentures remain an essential treatment option for edentulous patients, particularly when anatomical, functional, esthetic or financial considerations limit fixed implant reconstructions. Careful prosthetic planning is required to ensure stability and long-term success, considering esthetics, occlusion, vertical dimension, and restorative space. This article provides clinicians with a structured overview of workflows for implant overdentures using conventional and digital impressions, highlighting their advantages, limitations, and clinical indications.
Impression strategies for different attachment systems – single retentive abutments (studs), splinted abutments with a bar, and double crowns – are discussed with an emphasis on accuracy requirements. Both conventional and digital workflows remain valid approaches. Workflow selection should be guided by case complexity, the type of attachment system, and available resources. Continued advances in CAD/CAM technology are expected to further streamline fully digital protocols for implant overdentures. Conventional impressions remain the gold standard for complex cases requiring splinted abutments or double crowns. Digital recordings offer advantages in terms of patient comfort, simplified workflow, and integration with CAD/CAM systems. A comparative summary outlines key factors influencing impression accuracy, including implant distribution, scan body design, coping splinting, material selection, tray rigidity, operator experience, and post-processing steps.
A step-by-step clinical case illustrates the digital workflow for a complete maxillary implant overdenture (IOD) retained using four non-splinted single retentive abutments. Diagnostic and pre-surgical planning procedures included denture duplication with radiopaque markers, CBCT-based planning, and allowed for guided implant placement. Further steps begin with intraoral scan, progressing through framework design and digital denture fabrication, and concluding with the final prosthesis retained by four single retentive abutments and their matrices (Novaloc® – Straumann Group, Basel, Switzerland).
