Surgical repositioning of infra-occluded dental implants in the orthognathic management of a Class III open-bite patient

Abstract

Dental implants placed in the maxillary anterior region have a high risk of aesthetic complications caused by later infra-occlusion and may subsequently require special therapeutic considerations to achieve optimal aesthetic and functional results. Based on the severity, possible treatment options for infra-occluded implants include replacement of the implant restoration, alveolar distraction osteogenesis, repositioning by a segmental osteotomy, or the removal of the implant. The present case report describes the successful application of bi-maxillary orthognathic surgery combined with an anterior segmental osteotomy for the correction of a Class III open-bite malocclusion complicated by severely infra-occluded implants.