Fracture of the body of an implant and its management--a case history.
The increasing use of endosseous osseointegrated implants to replace natural teeth will inevitably lead to an increase in patients presenting in general dental practice with failing implants. A fractured implant body is not a common cause of failure, however it is a common cause of late failure. There is evidence that careful treatment planning can reduce the incidence of fracture. This paper describes a case demonstrating the management of implant fracture and discussing a possible mechanism for this failure. Some of the previously described factors that have been thought to contribute towards fracture are also discussed.