Figure 4.

Conventional implant placement in healed ridge (control group) of a young female patient (19 years old) who underwent orthodontic treatment: (a) overlapping of digital images (S2 over S1): colorimetric map, first setting (50 μm). The soft tissues overlying the vestibular (bundle) bone appeared stable, while the papillae showed some kind of contraction; however, this could be related to the movements of the natural teeth adjacent to the implant-supported restoration; (b) overlapping of digital images (S2 over S1): colorimetric map, second setting (25 μm). The predominant color was light blue, since in most areas a variation/reduction in soft tissue volume > 25 μm was registered; (c) overlapping of digital images (S2 over S1): colorimetric map, third setting (10 μm). Only a few areas showed contraction < 10 μm; (d) overlapping of digital images (S2 over S1): colorimetric map, fourth setting (5 μm). The area of the vestibular mucosa overlying the vestibular (bundle) bone was the least affected by tissue contraction over time, whereas the papillae were the most affected. Overall, the mean (±SD) soft tissue contraction/reduction in the whole inspected area amounted to 0.091 mm (±0.073).