Management of a malposed dental implant in the esthetic zone.

Abstract

With the increased research in the field of dental implantology, there has been an extensive rise in the application of dental implants in various clinical situations. Complications arise with the frequent increase in the placement of dental implants; one of the common difficulties faced is placement of a malposed dental implant. Rehabilitation of prosthetically unfavorable implant is a serious challenge to a restorative dentist, a laboratory technician, and the patient. This is of great concern especially when it is in the maxillary smile zone. Prosthetic modifications, surgical corrections, or combination of both may be required in such situations. This case report describes a severely malposed dental implant in the maxillary left lateral incisor region in which an esthetically satisfactory result may not be feasible with prosthetic corrections alone. Hence, a surgical approach termed partial segmental osteotomy was initiated to reestablish the osseointegrated implant segment to a more favorable position before prosthetic phase.