Displacement of a Dental Implant into the Pterygoid Fossa: A Clinical Report

The placement of dental implants in the pterygomaxillary region can be advantageous in maxillary complete arch fixed implant-supported prosthetic rehabilitations to avoid bone grafting and sinus elevation surgeries. Pterygomaxillary implants improve implant biomechanics by eliminating distal cantilevers and increasing the anteroposterior spread with reported mean implant survival rates comparable to traditional implant sites. Although only minor surgical complications have been reported in the literature with the placement of dental implants in the pterygomaxillary region this clinical report describes a major surgical complication involving the displacement of a dental implant into the pterygoid fossa.