Metal Mouth Message Board

Does anyone here have the experience of a failed mini-implant?
I had two of these mini-screws put in by my oral surgeon two months ago. All went well, but recently when my ortho put a wire around one, it became loose. I don't know whether he broke it or my body decided to reject it after two moths. My ortho told me to get it replaced. I am pretty scared 'cause I think I belong to a high-risk group, and the mini-implants will just fail again. Since my ortho insisted that the only alternative to these mini-implants is a jaw surgery, I don't know what to do. If you had similar experience, could you please tell me what happened after the mini-implants failed?

I had the same thing happen. All I was told is that around 10-20% of mini implants fail. The commonest failure time is within 6 weeks.
From what I've gathered since then, they don't always know the reason for failure, but contributory factors include smoking (interferes with blood supply to the gums) plaque deposit forming round the screw due to incorrect cleaning, fiddling with the screw with the tongue and how soon after insertion the screw is put into use. Apparently it should be either straightaway, or after 6 weeks. I did find an article about this but can't locate it offhand.

Anyway, having one implant fail doesn't necessarily mean that a second one will. One of my first pair came out but the other is still in place a year later, although it's not being used right now. The second pair I had placed are both still in place and in use. I think one is slightly loose but it's firm enough to use at the moment. The second pair was loaded immediately after being inserted.

Chances are that a replacement implant will not reject. Do what you can to minimise the risk factors for rejection (don't fiddle with it except for cleaning, keep it scrupulously clean, don't smoke, and see if you can get the replacement screw under load as soon as possible after insertion, or failing that wait 6 weeks)

Good luck!

Thanks KK! Lisa's story helps a lot! I am going through almost the exact same thing.

Lisa, thanks for the nice reply and all the info! Both my ortho and oral surgeon said that these screws are new to them, so they don't know much. I'll go ahead to get the implant replaced and follow all your advice to minimize the risk for rejection. Please keep posting your story -- I am your newest fan now. Those screws have brought me nothing but trouble, (well, I guess you know all these first handed). I hope in the end, I'll feel as good as you are feeling now.

Again, thank you guys!

If you've read my blog you'll know there were times when I'd have unscrewed the darn things myself if I could but all in all I would say it's been worth it. I hated my teeth so much and although there's still a lot of work to do, they look loads better.

What are your implants being used for? Are they to reduce an overjet too? I'd be interested to hear more about your treatment as there aren't many of us here with mini-implants.

Good luck with the replacement!

Lisa

Lisa,
Indeed, the implants are used to solve an overjet-related problem.

I have a bite problem (class II?) where my lower jaw is too small (or upper jaw too big). My upper front teeth "managed" to compensate this by pointing inwards (-6 degrees). My orthodontist wants to make them tilt outwards (30 degrees). But doing that alone will create an overjet. So he had my upper bicuspids removed and will move upper front teeth as well as upper canines back to close the gaps. The implants are supposed to be a good choice for this kind of asymmetric movement -- all the movements will be on these teeth and zero movement on the molars. But so far, these implants are not anchoring anything.

Does that explain it? If not, I can show you a picture later once I figure out how to post images. (I am new to this forum and still learning.)

My orthodontist said that these mini-implants are relatively new in the US (at least in his office), but they are extensively used in Korea, and supposedly are really amazing. Hopefully my replacement will do the magic.

Yes I get you and I'm sure once you get the new screw put in, you'll be surprised how quickly those front teeth move. Implants are good for absolute anchorage so hopefully your molars will stay put.

I had three implants fail, but they weren't mini implants. I know one failure in itsself is rare.

I'm sorry. I totally understand.

Just curious, I'll be needing 2 implants down the road after my surgery is done, but if the implant fails, do you have to pay for a second one? I was quoted $1500 per implant so now I'm really worried about the cost if things do go as planned.

I'm not familiar with the difference between a mini-implant and a regular one.

Suzanna,
Thankfully my surgeon didn't charge me again. I paid only for the anesthesia - $300. Phew. That's good because just the lower denture alone was $6000. I haven't even touched the upper issues yet.

Oh, and mini implants can be used in areas of less or thin bone (for some reason, not on me) and are one piece, not the various components on a normal implant.