TREATMENT OF THE FAILING IMPLANT - CASE-REPORTS

Three case reports of treatment of the failing implant are presented. The implants were immobile but had lost a significant amount of osseou s support The cause of failure was determined to be a combination of b acterial and occlusal traumatogenic insult. The defects were debrided and the implant surface was detoxified with tetracycline. Decalcified freeze-dried bone allograft was implanted into the osseous defects and covered with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene material in accordance with principles of guided tissue regeneration. The barrier membrane wa s removed 6 to 8 weeks after placement Eight months to 1 year posttrea tment, all sites demonstrated a substantial reduction in probing depth , a gain in clinical attachment and bone fill of the defects adjacent to the implant.