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Reuse an Abutment?

posted in Abutments, advice

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Anon. asks:
I had to remove a crown cemented with zinc phosphate cement because it became loose. The crown was destroyed because I had to cut it off. The abutment was still stuck to the crown, as well as, the stabilizing screw. The technician had to put the assembly in the oven close to 500 degrees Centigrade [932 degrees Fahrenheit] and the crown and abutment separated. Can I reuse the abutment? Is it strong enough mechanically to withstand heavy occlusal loads?

9 Responses to “ Reuse an Abutment? ”

• Alejandro Berg September 9th, 2008

  
  

  I would say from the description that is an external hex abutment. If so you have 2 choices, 1.- reuse the abutment but changing the screw and 2.- change everything.
  If you want to live free of worries go for 2. If you need to save money go for 1 but I can assure you that some deformation has occured and so it wont fit as a new one.
  By the way did you check the implants hex… is it deformed ? that is the most important question. If it is nothing will fit correctly.
  best of luck

• Bruce G Knecht September 9th, 2008

  
  

  If it is an external hex it would be best to replace the abutment and especially the screw since it came loose. The gold screws of the Nobel distort and can not be used again. If it is an internal hex it could be thatthe screw was not torqued down to the require parameters of the implant used. If it is internal make sure that the hex of the screw is OK and not burred up. If necessary just change the screw and torque it to the NCM necessary. Hope this helps.

• Dr. Gerald Rudick September 9th, 2008

  
  

  Good advice from Bruce and Alejandro.

  It is not uncommon that a single implant crown is permanently cemented to an implant abutment becomes loose.

  In future, take photographs of exactly where the screw access opening is in the abutment.

  If the abutment was straight and not angled, just visualize where the access opening is, and simply drill through the crown….. probably you had put cotton or gutta percha into the hex hole of the screw…so you will when to stop drilling.

  You now have a screw retained crown, and simply loosen the screw and remove the crown. Little if any damage was done to the crown…. change the screw, tighten it securely, patch up the hole in the crown…and you are home free.

  If you want to reuse an abutment, you can be sure that microscopically there is some deformity to the hex connection and probably the screw threads…. but if you are making a temporary implant bridge where there are several implants connected I don’t see any harm in the temporary stage.

  Gerald Rudick dds Montreal

• P S VARMA September 10th, 2008

  
  

  I had 2 dental implants and one of the implants on the lower jaw un screwed and came off in whole probably due to it being not properly implanted.
  Can i get the implant autoclaved and reused in the same socket of lower jaw after 6 months?.
  Please assist..

• anon September 10th, 2008

  
  

  It was an internal hexed implant and we let the crown dangle around in the mouth for 12 days before we decided to chop of the crown.

  Thanks doctors I can’t thank all of you enough.

• Elie Victor September 11th, 2008

  
  

  My dental assistant opened by mistake the steril pakage of an implant (Straumann). Can we autoclave this implant be ourself to reuse it, or should we send it back to Straumann for special sterilisation mode. ………Thank you

• Alejandro Berg September 16th, 2008

  
  

  Implants should be sterilized by radiation, never etilene oxide, autoclave is not recomended.
  There are sevices that do rad sterilization and is cheap.
  best of luck.

• Alejandro Berg September 16th, 2008

  
  

  P S VARMA, implants CANT be reutilized, Shouldnt be reutilized…. JUST DONT EVER EVEN THINK OF THAT, if you lost it, most implants have a warranty(most have a lifetime warranty)

• anon September 25th, 2008

  
  

  Dear Dr Alejandro, the implant was an internal hexed one not an external hexed one.

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