External and occlusal trauma to dental implants and a case report

Dental implants subjected to traumatic forces can survive. Cortical bone seems to provide a protective energy-absorbing mechanism in the collagen polymer that helps to prevent microcracking and fracture of bone. The collagen polymer has cross-linking bonds that break and absorb the energy of a traumatic impact so as not to cause damage to the main polymer chain. A case reported demonstrates that a traumatic force damaged the implant prosthetic crown, but not the bone encasing the implant or the integration of the implant.