Compression implants: case report of a surgical, prosthetic, and cosmetic failure.

A case involving the use of non-submergible compression-type implants in an effort to rehabilitate a patient who had experienced tooth loss as a consequence of a motor vehicle accident is reported. The implants were placed in the maxillary arch without consideration of their contribution to subsequent prosthetic rehabilitation. The literature pertaining to compression-type implants is reviewed, and the difficulties related to their correct usage are delineated.