Clinical insight · Implant prosthetics
Implant prosthodontics glossary: English and Portuguese
Forty implant prosthodontic terms, from multi-unit abutment to cantilever, with short definitions, the Brazilian Portuguese term and a link to go deeper.
Short answer
Smile Digital Lab's implant prosthodontics glossary defines 40 terms, from multi-unit abutment to cantilever, in entries of 25 to 50 words, each with the Brazilian Portuguese term and a link to the page that covers it in depth. Definitions follow the Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms, 10th edition (2023), and the cited literature.
Which components sit between the implant and the restoration?
Between the implant and the restoration sit the abutment, which may be a multi-unit abutment, a titanium base or a custom abutment, and the screw that holds it. To carry the implant's position to the lab you use an impression coping, a scan body and an analog. Every system has its own platform, and the Rx must name it.
- AbutmentIn Portuguese (Brazil): pilar
An abutment is the component screwed onto the implant to support or retain the prosthesis, fixed or removable. GPT-10 separates interim abutments, such as healing abutments, from definitive ones, prefabricated (stock) or custom. Brazilian dentists say pilar or componente protético.
In depth: Implant restoration dental lab in São Paulo, Brazil
- Multi-unit abutmentIn Portuguese (Brazil): pilar multiunit
A multi-unit abutment is an intermediate abutment, straight or angled, that brings several implants to a common prosthetic connection and compensates for their divergence, so a multi-unit prosthesis can be screwed onto all of them. Neodent's Brazilian catalog calls it the mini pilar cônico.
In depth: Full-arch zirconia implant bridge
- Titanium base (Ti-base)In Portuguese (Brazil): base de titânio
A titanium base is a short prefabricated abutment bonded inside a zirconia crown or framework, giving it a metal interface with the implant; crown and base are screwed in as one piece. On a multi-unit abutment, the equivalent part is the titanium cylinder.
In depth: Zirconia implant crowns
- Custom abutmentIn Portuguese (Brazil): pilar personalizado
A custom abutment is a definitive abutment designed and milled for one specific implant, with that case's height, angulation and emergence profile. For a cement-retained crown, it lets the margin sit closer to the mucosa, where excess cement is easier to remove.
- Implant platformIn Portuguese (Brazil): plataforma do implante
The implant platform is the surface where the abutment seats, with a diameter and connection type specific to each system, such as external hex, internal hex or Morse taper. Abutment, analog, impression coping and scan body must all match it, which is why it belongs on the Rx.
In depth: Why implant crowns get remade, and how to prevent it
- Morse taperIn Portuguese (Brazil): cone Morse
A Morse taper is an internal connection in which a conical abutment seats in a conical recess in the implant, both with the same taper: a cone inside a cone, as GPT-10 puts it. The name comes from the engineering principle Stephen Morse described in 1864.
In depth: Why implant crowns get remade, and how to prevent it
- Gingival height (collar height)In Portuguese (Brazil): altura de cinta
Gingival height, or collar height, is the height of the abutment section that passes through the soft tissue, from the implant platform to where the prosthesis seats. It is chosen by tissue thickness and goes on the Rx with brand, platform and angle for each abutment.
- Implant analogIn Portuguese (Brazil): análogo
An implant analog is a replica of the implant, or of the abutment platform alone, set into a stone or printed model to reproduce the implant's position outside the mouth. It is never placed in a patient; the lab builds the restoration on it.
In depth: How to send a case to the lab
- Impression copingIn Portuguese (Brazil): transferente (transfer)
An impression coping is the component screwed onto the implant during an impression to transfer its position. Open-tray copings stay in the impression material; closed-tray copings are unscrewed in the mouth and reseated in the impression, attached to the analog, before pouring.
Which terms come up when scanning and verifying a full arch?
On a full arch, scanning and verification decide whether the bridge seats without strain. The scan body carries each implant's position into the file, the interocclusal record carries the jaw relationship, and a try-in with a jig or the bar shows any gap while it can still be fixed.
- Scan bodyIn Portuguese (Brazil): scan body
A scan body is a reference marker screwed onto the implant, or onto the analog in a model, so the scanner can record the implant's position and dimensions. The software matches the image to that model's library file, so it must be unmodified and fully captured.
- Intraoral scanningIn Portuguese (Brazil): escaneamento intraoral
Intraoral scanning is the 3D recording, with an optical scanner inside the mouth, of the size, color and texture of teeth, gingiva and components. GPT-10 calls digital impression a slang term: the file is not a negative copy but an image of the surface.
- STL and PLY filesIn Portuguese (Brazil): STL e PLY
STL and PLY are 3D mesh file formats that intraoral scanners export. STL describes the surface as triangles, with no color or texture, and opens in nearly any software. PLY describes a polygonal model and can store color, transparency and texture.
- PhotogrammetryIn Portuguese (Brazil): fotogrametria
Photogrammetry is a technique that calculates 3D positions from photographs. In full-arch work, an extraoral camera reads scan bodies with optical targets and records implant positions; soft tissue, ridge and teeth still come from an intraoral scan or an impression.
- Interocclusal recordIn Portuguese (Brazil): registro de mordida
An interocclusal record registers the position of one arch relative to the other. GPT-10 prefers this term, or maxillomandibular relationship record, and lists bite registration as slang. On a full arch, it is usually taken with the screwed-in provisional, which holds the vertical dimension.
- Vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO)In Portuguese (Brazil): dimensão vertical de oclusão
The vertical dimension of occlusion is the distance between two marked points, usually on the tip of the nose and the chin, with the teeth in maximal intercuspation. In a patient about to lose the dentition, it has to be recorded before extractions and sent to the lab.
- Passive fitIn Portuguese (Brazil): adaptação passiva
Passive fit is the seating of a screw-retained prosthesis on several implants without strain on the framework or components. In a 2025 review, misfit under 150 µm and angular deviation up to 1° were generally considered enough to avoid complications such as screw loosening.
- One-screw test (Sheffield test)In Portuguese (Brazil): teste de um parafuso (teste de Sheffield)
The one-screw test, or Sheffield test, checks passive fit by tightening only the screw at one end of the bar or jig and looking for rocking or a gap at the other abutments, then repeating from the opposite end.
- Verification jigIn Portuguese (Brazil): jig de verificação
A verification jig is a rigid index that splints the implants in their recorded positions and is tried in before the definitive prosthesis. If the model or the scan is off, it won't seat. An ITI Blog article recommends type IV stone jigs, which don't flex.
What types of implant restoration and retention are there?
On implants, the restoration can be a single crown, a bridge or a full-arch prosthesis, retained by a screw or by cement. With immediate loading a provisional goes in first; the definitive prosthesis copies the tooth position, occlusion and vertical dimension that already worked in the mouth.
- Full-arch implant bridgeIn Portuguese (Brazil): protocolo
A full-arch implant bridge is a fixed prosthesis that replaces a whole arch on implants and that the patient can't remove; GPT-10 calls it a fixed complete denture. In Brazil it is called protocolo. All-on-4® is a Nobel Biocare trademark, not a generic term.
In depth: Full-arch implant bridges: zirconia, titanium bar or PMMA?
- Zirconia on a milled titanium barIn Portuguese (Brazil): protocolo sobre barra de titânio (Ibar)
Zirconia on a milled titanium bar is a two-layer full-arch prosthesis: a milled titanium bar screws onto the implants, and a zirconia or PMMA superstructure seats on it. In Brazil the market nickname is Ibar; on the Rx, describe the structure instead.
- Hybrid prosthesisIn Portuguese (Brazil): prótese híbrida
Hybrid prosthesis is a term GPT-10 lists as slang, for any prosthesis outside conventional design, usually combining different materials. Day to day it names the metal-framework bridge with acrylic teeth and gingiva; on the Rx, spell out framework and material instead.
In depth: Full-arch implant bridges: zirconia, titanium bar or PMMA?
- Screw-retained crownIn Portuguese (Brazil): coroa parafusada
A screw-retained crown is an implant crown held by a screw that runs through it, either directly into the implant or via a titanium base. It comes off for maintenance without being cut and leaves no cement in the sulcus; the access hole sits wherever the implant axis points.
- Cement-retained crownIn Portuguese (Brazil): coroa cimentada
A cement-retained crown is an implant crown luted onto an abutment, as on a prepared tooth. It keeps the occlusal surface intact and works around an unfavorable implant axis, but every bit of excess cement must come out, which gets harder as the margin goes deeper.
- Angled screw channel (ASC)In Portuguese (Brazil): canal de acesso angulado
An angled screw channel is a component that lets the screw be tightened through an access hole tilted relative to the implant axis. It moves the access from a visible surface to the cingulum or occlusal surface and keeps screw-retained a crown that would otherwise need cement.
- Immediate loadingIn Portuguese (Brazil): carga imediata
Immediate loading means the prosthesis is in function less than one week after implant placement, by the ITI consensus definition. On a full arch, it is usually a fixed provisional: the patient's converted denture, picked up on cylinders, or a milled PMMA provisional.
- Interim prosthesis (provisional)In Portuguese (Brazil): provisório
An interim prosthesis, or provisional, is a fixed or removable prosthesis meant for temporary use until the definitive one. GPT-10 notes it also helps test the treatment plan and the form and function of the definitive prosthesis. On a full arch, it often serves as the prototype.
- Emergence profileIn Portuguese (Brazil): perfil de emergência
The emergence profile is the contour of a crown or abutment where it emerges from the soft tissue around the implant. In the esthetic zone, it is developed in the provisional crown, which shapes the gingiva, and reproduced in the definitive crown.
Which materials go into implant restorations?
The most common materials in implant restorations are zirconia, monolithic or veneered with porcelain, lithium disilicate, PMMA for provisionals and prototypes, and metal-ceramic. They differ in strength, translucency, chipping risk and minimum thickness, and each one has its own indications on the Rx.
- Zirconia (3Y, 4Y, 5Y)In Portuguese (Brazil): zircônia
Dental zirconia is zirconium oxide stabilized, usually with yttria. At 3 mol% yttria it is 3Y-TZP, the toughest; at 4 to 6 mol% it gains cubic phase and translucency and becomes less fracture-resistant, according to GPT-10.
In depth: Monolithic vs layered vs multilayer zirconia vs e.max
- Monolithic zirconiaIn Portuguese (Brazil): zircônia monolítica
Monolithic zirconia is full-contour zirconia with no veneering porcelain, usually with added pigment and a thin glaze. In full-arch bridges, monolithic designs had technical complication rates of 1–3% in a 2026 meta-analysis.
In depth: Monolithic vs layered vs multilayer zirconia vs e.max
- Porcelain-veneered zirconiaIn Portuguese (Brazil): zircônia estratificada
Porcelain-veneered zirconia is a zirconia framework covered with layered or pressed ceramic for depth of color. The veneer is what chips: in a 2024 meta-analysis of full-arch bridges, complications reached 33.7% for veneered zirconia against 9.4% for monolithic.
In depth: Monolithic vs layered vs multilayer zirconia vs e.max
- Lithium disilicateIn Portuguese (Brazil): dissilicato de lítio
Lithium disilicate is a medium-strength glass-ceramic with lithium disilicate crystals in a silica network. IPS e.max CAD from Ivoclar is the best-known brand. It is more translucent than monolithic zirconia, and the manufacturer calls for adhesive cementation of thin restorations.
In depth: Monolithic vs layered vs multilayer zirconia vs e.max
- PMMAIn Portuguese (Brazil): PMMA (polimetilmetacrilato)
PMMA, polymethyl methacrylate, is a hard, stable acrylic resin that, as a pre-polymerized disc, is milled into provisionals, full-arch prototypes and occlusal splints. In a 2026 clinical trial, milled PMMA full-arch provisionals had fewer mechanical complications than 3D-printed resin.
In depth: Full-arch implant bridges: zirconia, titanium bar or PMMA?
- Metal-ceramic (PFM)In Portuguese (Brazil): metalocerâmica
Metal-ceramic, or porcelain-fused-to-metal, describes a crown or fixed prosthesis with a metal substructure veneered with porcelain. On implants, it shows up as crowns on metal copings and as porcelain-veneered bar bridges. In a cohort followed up to 17 years, it had fewer veneer fractures than titanium-acrylic.
Which terms explain why implant restorations fail?
These terms name what matters most for how long an implant restoration lasts: room for the material, the extent and thickness of the prosthesis, the veneering porcelain, the screw, the cement and the forces the patient generates. Nearly all of it is visible in the design, before milling.
- Restorative spaceIn Portuguese (Brazil): espaço protético
Restorative space is the room available for the prosthesis and its components, measured vertically from the soft tissue to the opposing occlusal surface. For monolithic zirconia full-arch bridges, the ITI Blog recommends 11–14 mm; in the largest published series, fractures clustered where space was insufficient.
In depth: Full-arch zirconia bridges: lifespan and why they fail
- CantileverIn Portuguese (Brazil): cantiléver
A cantilever is the part of a prosthesis that extends beyond the last implant, supported at one end only. In a cohort of 180 full-arch zirconia bridges, longer cantilevers meant more framework fractures, and the authors propose limits relative to connector area.
In depth: Full-arch zirconia bridges: lifespan and why they fail
- ConnectorIn Portuguese (Brazil): conector
A connector is the portion of a fixed partial denture that unites retainers and pontics, in GPT-10's definition. In a full-arch zirconia bridge, it is the cross-section between abutments or behind the last one; its area in mm² is one of the design criteria against fracture.
In depth: Full-arch zirconia bridges: lifespan and why they fail
- ChippingIn Portuguese (Brazil): lascamento
Chipping is the fracture of a fragment of veneering porcelain without breaking the framework underneath. It is the most common technical complication of veneered zirconia: in a 2026 umbrella review, it reached 15–35% in those full-arch bridges.
In depth: Full-arch zirconia bridges: lifespan and why they fail
- Screw looseningIn Portuguese (Brazil): afrouxamento de parafuso
Screw loosening is the loss of preload in an abutment or prosthetic screw, requiring retightening. A 2026 umbrella review found it in 5–15% of full-arch prostheses, and in a 2025 meta-analysis bruxism multiplied its odds by 3.4.
In depth: Full-arch zirconia bridges: lifespan and why they fail
- Excess cementIn Portuguese (Brazil): cimento residual
Excess cement is the cement left in the sulcus after an implant crown is cemented. In a 2009 endoscopic study, it was found at 34 of 42 implants with peri-implant disease and at none of the 20 healthy control implants.
- BruxismIn Portuguese (Brazil): bruxismo
Bruxism is repetitive jaw-muscle activity of clenching or grinding the teeth, or bracing or thrusting the mandible, during sleep or while awake. In a 2025 meta-analysis, it multiplied the odds of mechanical complications on implant restorations by 6.1.
In depth: Full-arch zirconia bridges: lifespan and why they fail
Where do these definitions come from?
These definitions start from the Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms, 10th edition (GPT-10), published by the Academy of Prosthodontics in The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry in 2023. Where GPT-10 has no entry, as with multi-unit abutment, titanium base and passive fit, the definition follows the literature cited on the page that covers the term.
Each entry runs 25 to 50 words, opens with the term and says what it is and what it does. The Portuguese term is the one Brazilian dentists use chairside, which helps if you read Brazilian literature or work with a lab in Brazil. Figures come from the sources at the end, and every term has its own link you can share or cite.
Which Brazilian chairside terms don’t appear in the literature?
Protocolo, Ibar, prótese híbrida, transfer and mordida are Brazilian chairside terms that the English-language literature doesn’t use, or that GPT-10 lists as slang. If a Brazilian colleague or lab uses one, this is the technical term it maps to.
| Brazilian term | English term | note |
|---|---|---|
| protocolo | full-arch implant bridge; implant-supported fixed complete denture | not the same as All-on-4®, a Nobel Biocare trademark for a four-implant concept |
| Ibar | zirconia on a milled titanium bar | market nickname; describe the bar and the material on top |
| prótese híbrida | hybrid prosthesis (slang in GPT-10); metal-acrylic | spell out framework and material |
| transfer | impression coping | open or closed tray |
| moldagem digital | intraoral scan; digital scan | GPT-10 lists digital impression as slang |
| mordida | interocclusal record; maxillomandibular relationship record | GPT-10 lists bite registration as slang |
| mini pilar cônico | multi-unit abutment | Neodent’s catalog name for the component |
Related services
Open a portal accountFrequently asked questions
What's the difference between a multi-unit abutment and a Ti-base?
A multi-unit abutment is screwed onto the implant and brings several implants to a common connection, so a multi-unit prosthesis can be screwed onto them. A Ti-base is bonded inside a crown or zirconia framework and screwed in with it, directly into the implant; it is how a screw-retained zirconia crown connects to the implant.
Is a full-arch implant bridge the same as All-on-4?
No. All-on-4® is Nobel Biocare's trademark for a treatment concept with four implants, the two posterior ones tilted, and a fixed full-arch prosthesis on the day of surgery. A full-arch implant bridge can sit on four or more implants from any system; that generic prosthesis is what Brazilian dentists call protocolo.
Do a scan body and an impression coping do the same job?
Both transfer the implant's position to the lab. An impression coping does it in the impression, which becomes a stone model with an analog in place of the implant. A scan body does it in the file: the scanner records its shape, and the software works out the implant position from that model's library.
Sources
- The Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms 2023, tenth edition (GPT-10) · The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (Academy of Prosthodontics, 2023)
- 10 considerations on the use of monolithic zirconia for one-piece implant-supported fixed complete dental prostheses · ITI Blog (Sánchez, 2022)
- Loading protocols — definition of terms and general statement · ITI Academy (5th Consensus Conference, 2013)
- Photogrammetry versus intraoral scanning in complete-arch digital implant impression: a systematic review and meta-analysis · Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research (Pozzi et al., 2025)
- Are monolithic zirconia complete arch implant-supported prostheses reliable? A systematic review and meta-analysis · The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (Matos et al., 2026)
- Evaluating the clinical behavior of veneered zirconia in comparison with monolithic zirconia complete arch implant-supported prostheses: a systematic review and meta-analysis · The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (Martakoush-Saleh et al., 2024)
- Prosthetic complications of implant-supported complete arch prostheses: an umbrella review of systematic reviews · The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (Tomar et al., 2026)
- Five-year survival and failure patterns of complete arch fixed implant-supported monolithic zirconia prostheses: a retrospective analysis of 3300 laboratory cases · Journal of Prosthodontics (Alshahrani et al., 2026)
- Framework fracture of zirconia supported full arch implant rehabilitation: a retrospective evaluation of cantilever length and distal cross-sectional connection area in 140 patients over an up-to-7 year follow-up period · Journal of Prosthodontics (Tirone et al., 2022)
- Relationship between bruxism and different types of mechanical complications in implant-supported prosthesis: a systematic review with meta-analysis · Journal of Prosthodontics (Vidal et al., 2025)
- The positive relationship between excess cement and peri-implant disease — a prospective clinical endoscopic study · Journal of Periodontology (Wilson, 2009)
- Randomized comparative crossover clinical study of mechanical and optical behavior, and oral health-related quality of life of CAD-CAM milled and 3D-printed complete-arch implant-supported interim restorations · Journal of Prosthodontics (Vasquez-Ramos et al., 2026)
- Technical and biological complications of implant-supported fixed complete dentures: a retrospective cohort study with up to 17 years of follow-up · International Journal of Implant Dentistry (Pelser et al., 2026)
- Mini Pilar Cônico (Neodent catalog, Brazil) · Neodent (Straumann Group)
- All-on-4® treatment concept · Nobel Biocare
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