Starting situation
The case combines a 3.5 mm Zimmer TSV implant with a 3.3 mm Straumann Bone Level implant. After soft-tissue conditioning, the positions were transferred using the corresponding IPD scan bodies and the data were processed in 3Shape.
When the implant is not prosthetically ideally oriented
CAD revealed distal inclination of one implant. The design therefore used customised IPD bases and angulated screw channels to move the access openings to a more favourable area of the occlusal surface. The original case reports channel angulations of 15° and 5°.
The digital model as part of verification
Alongside fabrication of the zirconia crowns, a working model was printed with removable gingiva and IPD digital analogs fixed from both the basal and vestibular sides. This shows that a physical model is not a “return to analogue”, but a controlled output stage of the digital process.
What can and cannot be generalised
The general principle is transferable: heterogeneous implant systems require careful matching of the scan body, library and component for each platform. The specific channel angle, base height and tightening torque must always follow the restoration and the manufacturer’s current instructions.