Surgical implant repositioning: a clinical report.

Esthetically compromised or nonrestorable implants present major clinical problems. Of 3,850 implants placed, 10 osseointegrated implants in 6 patients were surgically repositioned using maxillary or mandibular osteotomies and rigidly fixated, under intravenous sedation. The segments were predictably changed in a vertical, anteroposterior, transverse, or axial inclination manner. Excellent healing of bone and soft tissue was observed. This simple, reliable technique allowed these 10 implants to be esthetically and functionally restored with permanent prostheses.