Removing Medpor Chin Implant Before Causes Tooth or Nerve Loss?

asked 2 years ago by kathy7 in Southern California
Latest answer by William Portuese, MD
Question viewed 889 times
Tags: teeth, nerve damage

I have a medpor chin implant. It has moved out of place but I have no pain and it still looks good. My dentist sent me to an oral surgeon and based on my panorex xrays he said the implant is causing bone resorption and it needs to come out as it may cause tooth and nerve loss. He doesn't want to replace it with another implant.

What should I do? Do I need to have it removed? Can I upload my films so you can view them?

5 answers to Removing Medpor Chin Implant Before Causes Tooth or Nerve Loss?

Chin implant and bone resorption

We do not recommend Medpor chin implants for augmentation because they are very hard and dense and can get infected. We recommend silastic augmentation material for the chin. All implants can give bone resorption to some degree. It is important to note that the chin implant does not rest over the tooth roots since it can cause bone resorption of that area and lead to nerve and tooth root issues. The normal anatomical chin implants made of silastic plastic do not ride anywhere close to the... more

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Removing Medpore chin implant with bone resorbsion

It is not uncommon to see some bone resorbtion with chin implants, regardless of the type of implant. I have tooth loss or nerve damage from this resorbtion although it is theoretically possible. I prefer to substitute medpore withn silastic because silastic is softer and more malleable. I also use microscrew fixation to prevent movement. Fat grafting is a good alternative for you.

Burr Von Maur, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Chin implant removal then perhaps fat transfer

It sounds that you have bone resorption and and youe dental surgeon is worried about eroding to the roots of the teeth. Have a Plastic surgeon evaluation and plan on removing the implant. After that is stabilized then will consider fat transfer to improve your chin.

Samir Shureih, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

Medpor chin implant and bone erosion

First, be calm, you have time. I recommend that you have the implant evaluated by the implanting surgeon. If that is not possible, check with a ps who has experience with these implants. I use them exclusively for chin implants, and they are tricky to handle. Since the implant has dislodged, it should be corrected. It is a good idea for the implant to be fixed into the chin with micro-screws that are used to stabilize broken bones. If repositioned you may be able to use the same implant... more