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Most crowns are hollow shells that are cemented over a prepared tooth or implant abutment. Bicon is an implant system that supports a unique crown fabrication technique that results in an integrated abutment crown (IAC).

For most implant restorations, the crown is a hollow shell that sits over the abutment which has previously been tapped or screwed into the implant. For IACs, a solid composite crown is built on the abutment itself. The abutment and the crown become one unit. This unit is then tapped into the implant to complete the restoration.

Of course, this concept is not entirely unique to Bicon. Porcelain crowns have been built directly on abutments and the single unit crown-abutment is then screwed into the implant. But as with all screw systems, the implant cannot be placed too deeply. The gap between the implant and abutment houses bacteria and cannot be readily cleaned by the patient. With no microgap between implant and abutment, Bicon implants can be placed much more deeply into the bone. Ideally, it should be about 3mm beneath the bone. With depth, there comes ample soft tissue thickness. A crown seated deep inside the gum looks a lot more natural than a crown that overlaps the gum.

Of course, there is nothing perfect in the real world. Bicon IACs are made of a composite (plastic) material which can be porous. Being more elastic than porcelain, it may not break that easily, but it wears out a lot faster. It may also stain after some time. The good news is, composite crowns are much easier to repair than porcelain. If you have any wear and tear problems with your Bicon IACs, your dentist can do the repairs immediately.