Mobile Implant: How Long Do I Wait to See if the Graft Worked?

Dr R, With mobility, after any period of time post insertion, I would be inclined to say that you are dealing with a failure of the implant. Is this immediate post op? Are theses mini implants? Is the unit in function/or possibly over loaded? If the unit is not crucial to your treatment plan, consider eliminating it. Otherwise clean up the site and consider immediate or delayed replacement.

Mobile implants have a fibroblast generated collagen lining between implant and bone. This lining has no osteogenic capacity and to my knowledge when integration has failed there is no way to save the implant. If anyone has successfully treated a mobile implant I would like to know how. Greg Steiner Steiner Laboratories

First, do you need this implant if you have enough "free standing" implants for a over denture. If so remove teh implant. If you want to place an impant in this area, back out the existing failing impant degranulate the area Dril deeper, place a new impant , and then graft. The lack of stability and the contamination of the threads with toxins will just further infuriate the patient. When in doubt take it out.

Mobile implant = faillure. A bone graft will not make it solid. Remove it as soon as possible to avoid more bone lost. Can we post x-ray on this forum ? It would help a lot on a case like this one.

I would wait the time it takes to get the patient scheduled to remove the implant. It has failed. Remove the implant (you have already lost money on grafting and do not want to go into a deeper hole and lose more time for the patient who will lose confidence). Degranulate and either replace with a longer/wider implant or graft and wait to replace. Just wondering, are you a specialist as usually this is learned in school?

the grafting for mobile implant is not indicated. that implant was failed and should be remove immediately , if not the more bone loss will happen.but this case needs more examination and analysis to find why failed ? failing reasons must be avoided in future.

Dr Steiner, I would not argue with the established wisdom that a mobile implant is best removed, and could not be relied upon. However, I have had one case I can think of where four '3i' implant fixtures were placed in the maxilla for a 'locator' based over denture. At impression stage (six months later- a few years ago now) one was found to be mobile. The patient refused its removal, and overdenture was duely made on three fixtures leaving the fourth as a 'sleeper'; some five years later he returned for replacement overdenture, at which point the implant appeared integrated, and at his suggestion was duely incorporated into the new scheme. To my knowledge he has had no problems since. Yes, I know this is a one off, and I would not want to rely upon it, but nature does confound science from time to time!

To Forum moderator: I’m sure posts like this one should be accompanied by at least one X-ray to avoid speculations about dozens of possible causes of the problem.

As a general rule if mobile after osteointegration should have taken place(REMOVE).The defect that you talked about(mesial)it was there probably since day one. did you open flap for placing the implant if not why.Did you have initial stability, did you go for one or two stage aproach, there are a lot of if. If you have more than one implant you can procede with the one osteointegraded and finish your case or after you removed the mobile one use an alternative site. Good luck