506 Theories and techniques of oral implantology

case were cobalt-chrome castings, which made it impossible to bend the necks in order to parallel the posts. Because of this hardness it was also difficult to prepare the posts in the mouth with grinding stones and burs to be parallel with each other. However,

Fig. 11-145. The final prosthesis in place. Note open anterior flange in maxillary denture.

before the bridge was cemented, the posts were pre-pared parallel with each other.

Today titanium blades* are manufactured that allow the operator to easily bend the necks or the blade itself to fit into a curved groove. It also be-comes quite simple to grind away portions of the posts for parallelism. Fig. 11-146, B, shows the parallelism that is readily attained with titanium blades in another edentulous mandible.

Case 12

A removable denture for an edentulous mandible using retromolar blade implants in combination with other blade type implants

In some cases where there is extreme alveolar resorption in the molar region of the mandible, ac-

*Park Dental Research Corp., New York, N. Y.

A

B

Fig. 11-146. A, The final Panorex. (From Linkow, L. I., and Weiss, J. L.: The endosseous blade: a progress report, Prom. Dent., No. 5, 1969.) B, Another case using blade implants as the only supports for a fixed full arch denture in the completely edentulous mandible opposing a natural upper dentition.