Sammanfattning
Oral implant success depends extensively on bone and soft tissue healing mechanisms capable
of integrating the implant into newly formed, vital bone. Biological failure can be defined as the
inability of tissue to establish or maintain osseointegration. Failure to establish osseointegration
results in early implant failure, whereas failure to maintain osseointegration is classified as late. If
properly recognized and treated, a «failing» implant might be saved.
The incidence of implant failure prior to functional loading is about 3.0 %. The causal factors and
mechanisms behind failing implant are unclear. Infection, impaired healing and overload have been
suggested to be of importance.
The objective of this article is to present knowledge about early implant failure, discuss potential
causal mechanisms and illustrate treatment alternatives.
The presented case shows that it is possible to obtain favorable short term results with regenerative
therapy in an early failing implant. Alternative prosthetic treatments to oral implants should
sometimes be reconsidered in the presence of possibly interfering local or systemic factors.