Displacement of a dental implant in the mandible body: an unusual case report

PURPOSE: To present a case of a woman referred for the management of displacement of one implant in her right posterior mandible that had occurred three days previously. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After implant placement, the practitioner was no longer able to detect the implant and inserted a second one at the same site without taking a control radiograph. At the end of surgery, when a radiograph was finally taken, the first implant appeared displaced into the mandible body. The patient suffered total paresthesia on the right lower lip and chin. A flap was raised and bone osteotomies were performed on the lateral side of the mandible to create a rectangular cortical bone window that was removed. The implant was stuck by the second implant placed coronally, and only after unscrewing this second implant was it possible to remove the first one. RESULTS: After 18 months, the patient recovered full sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: In cases of implant displacement, it is always recommended that appropriate radiographs are performed to visualise where the implants could have been displaced in order to avoid more serious consequences.