New implant designs have appeared in the literature which claim that certain modifications may be helpful for maintaining crestal bone levels and consequently preserving normal soft tissue contours. Maintenance of soft tissue has been shown to depend on preservation of bone surrounding the implant. In order to achieve this goal, each step of the treatment must be managed carefully. This requires knowledge of pre-surgical treatment planning, site development, implant positioning, soft tissue management, provisionalization and prosthetic management.
Placement of a smaller diameter abutment on a large diameter implant platform (platform switching) has been proposed as an effective way to control circumferential bone loss around dental implants. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the literature from an evidence based point of view regarding implant design modifications for preserving soft and hard tissue around implants.