Breaking the stress with a non-rigid connector

Lone standing abutments or pier abutments have usually been restored with a conventional fixed partial denture (FPD) using a rigid connector between the pontics and the retainers. However, such fixed and rigid restorations have been associated with a higher rate of debonding, microleakage, caries, etc., The aim of the modern day prosthodontics is the preservation of what remains as given by M.M Devan. As a result, a non rigid connector (NRC) may be the connector of choice in situations of pier abutment. A NRC acts as a stress breaker so that the anterior and posterior segments can move independent of each other. This case report presents a simple method of rehabilitating a patient with a pier abutment in the upper right posterior region of the mouth. Rehabilitation was done by FPD with an inverted key-keyway type NRC. Follow up was done up to 11 months.