IMPLANT-SUPPORTED CONOMETRIC REHABILITATION OF A THIN MAXILLARY RIDGE WITH A 3.8 MM IMPLANT: A CASE REPORT

¹ Private Practice in Verona, Italy; Social and Healthcare Unit 9 Specialist, Verona, Italy
² Head and Neck Department, Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Pediatrics, and Gynecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
³ Head and Neck Department, Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Pediatrics and Gynecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
⁴ Private Practice in Carpi, Italy
⁵ Head and Neck Department, Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Pediatrics and Gynecology, University of Ve-rona, Verona, Italy
⁶ Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, University Hospital of Modena, Modena, Italy

Correspondence to:

European Journal of Musculoskeletal Diseases 2026 May-August 15(2): 88-95
https://doi.org/10.82093/ejmd/2026v15iss2_4

Received: 3 March 2026 Accepted: 9 April 2026

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Abstract

This case report describes the prosthetic rehabilitation of a 78-year-old woman with a horizontally resorbed anterior maxilla, in which a 3.8 mm-diameter implant was strategically placed in a localized area of sufficient ridge width to avoid horizontal bone augmentation. The treatment plan combined early implant placement, total conometric retention, and preservation of natural teeth to deliver a minimally invasive, fixed solution. Three implants were placed and restored with a screwless, cementless zirconia-ceramic prosthesis. At the nine-month follow-up, clinical and radiographic outcomes confirmed implant stability, peri-implant tissue health, and functional success without complications. This case illustrates that, in select patients, the use of a moderately wide implant within native bone can optimize biomechanics while reducing surgical burden, especially when paired with friction-fit prosthetic protocols.

Keywords: alveolar ridge resorption, dental abutments, dental implants, dental prosthesis, implant-supported, minimally invasive surgical procedures