title: Noninvasive palatal implant removal.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Orthodontic palatal implants are commonly used and do provide reliable absolute anchorage to assist orthodontic treatment. However, once treatment is completed, removal of these temporary implants is not considered easy or risk free. This short communication presents a clinical case in which a novel noninvasive procedure was applied to remove an osseointegrated palatal implant.
  
  
  METHODS
  A customized explantation tool, tightly fixed to the implant and precisely grasping the implant's head, was used in combination with a ratchet to unscrew the implant instead of the traditional removal by trephine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only a topical anesthetic was necessary before the implant-bone contact was broken by turning the ratchet counterclockwise. The implant was retrieved without any local anesthesia. The explanted palatal implant had no bone appending to it, except in its apical anti-rotational grooves, and the healing process thereafter was unproblematic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Noninvasive palatal implant removal offers a simple and fast approach for explantation. Moreover, it might reduce the risk of adverse patient reactions, iatrogenic tooth and nerve injuries, and possible oro-antral communications.
authors.affiliation: Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hänggi
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mirjam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Göllner
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schätzle
mesh_terms: D015921:Dental Implants; D020878:Device Removal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D052280:Orthodontic Anchorage Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010159:Palate / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants
keywords: complications; human; palatal implants; removal; skeletal anchorage; surgical