Nobel healing abutment won’t engage implant after removal for scan body: recommendations?

Last Updated: Oct 21, 2016

I removed the healing abutment to place the scan body for a digital impression. I found it very difficult to remove the healing abutment but finally accomplished this. I then found it very difficult to screw in the scan body. It felt like the threads on the scan body were not engaging the threads of the implant. Finally got it scanned and removed the scan body. Now I cannot rethread the healing abutment into the implant. All components are genuine, new Nobel Biocare. Anybody else experience this? What do you recommend I do at this point?

4 Comments on Nobel healing abutment won’t engage implant after removal for scan body: recommendations?

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mwjohnson dds. ms

10/25/2016

which nobel implant system are you using? If you are using the conical connection then sometimes bone grows up to the implant level or higher. If the healing abutment and scan body flare then the flare can hang up on the alveolus not allowing full seating. Get an xray and evaluate the bone levels. If the surgeon didn't flap the implant to uncover it then often times the excess bone is not profiled enough to allow seating of flared components.

Gregori Kurtzman, DDS

10/25/2016

Sounds like the threads may be cross threaded. Contact your Nobel rep and borrow a thread tap and retrace the threads in the implant

David S. Levitt, DDS

10/25/2016

NobelBiocare components have a .002in tolerance plus or minus. If you get an implant that is in the extreme minus range and an abutment (healing or otherwise) in the extreme plus range you can actually get a misfit. When I was the head of technical support we saw this happen from time to time. The solution was to try parts from a different lot number. Dr. Kurtzman is correct, though, re-threading with a tap will also solve the issue. Finally it could be as simple as dried blood inside the implant. Again a tap will do the trick.

Dennis Nimchuk

11/13/2016

A radiograph will help to assess this. It may be possible that the implant is submerged below the bony crest in which case the healing abutment may be impinging on bone. If the radiograph gives you an idea that this is a possibility then simply place a narrower healing abutment.

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