A Minimal Method for Removing a Fractured Implant Screw

When an implant screw fractures after it has cracked, we usually face two pieces of the screw: one is the screw head together with part of the body, and the other is the apical part of the screw that remains inside the implant.

What I do in this situation — and it sometimes works — is to first place the abutment onto the implant. Then I put the piece of the screw that includes the screw head inside the abutment. The reason for this is that in some cases the screw fracture has occurred in a serrated manner.

When the screw head is placed inside the abutment, the abutment helps guide the screw along its correct path and brings the two fractured surfaces close together.

In this state, I apply a vertical, counterclockwise pressure. In some cases this causes the two serrated parts — the part belonging to the screw head and the part remaining inside the implant — to engage with each other.

If this engagement occurs, the fractured piece inside the implant becomes loose, and in this state, with magnification and a simple instrument such as an explorer, it can be removed easily.

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