Exposed Dental Implant? Local Autograft A Saviour!

Implant exposure due to faulty placement, posses as the most common reason for implant failure. The implant placed too close to buccal or lingual cortex have lead to such failure on numerous occasions. Also, anatomic variations like the thin buccolingual width of alveolar ridge predispose exposure of the implant. 25-year-old female patient had undergone surgical placement of implants in mandibular anterior region 2 months back in the private dental clinic. The clinician noted Grade I mobility in one of the implants placed. The case was referred to the author. Thin overlying gingiva depicted an entire buccal aspect of the implant, which suggested more than 90 % loss of buccal cortex. According to literature and review of similar case reports, the only way suggested was to surgically remove the implant and wait for 12-24 months for the bone to heal for subsequent placement. Rather than the removal of implants as suggested, the author followed a naval approach of reinforcing buccal cortex using an autogenous cortical block from mandibular symphysis. The reinforcement surgery had certainly saved patients time, money and most importantly limits a crucial period of edentulism, which may be enforced on a patient in case the implant was removed.