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Case Series
Accidental migration of dental implants: Two unique cases and their management
1 DDS, PhD, Junior Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
2 DDS, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Japanese Red Cross Otsu Hospital, Otsu, Japan
3 DDS, Clinical Fellow, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
4 DDS, PhD, Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Address correspondence to:
Takuma Watanabe
54 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507,
Japan
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Article ID: 101539Z01TW2026
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Watanabe T, Nishikawa Y, Watanabe T, Hirota M. Accidental migration of dental implants: Two unique cases and their management. Int J Case Rep Images 2026;17(1):92–97.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Dental implant therapy has become a routine procedure with a high success rate. However, implant migration is a known complication. Migration or displacement of dental implants most commonly occurs in the maxillary sinus, while migration into soft tissue appears to be rare. Several approaches such as the bony window technique and endoscopic surgical approaches have been described for the management of implants displaced into the maxillary sinus. However, the optimal strategy remains controversial.
Case Report: Case 1: A female patient with migration of a dental implant into the right maxillary sinus following second-stage implant surgery was referred to our department. The implant was successfully removed using the bony window technique with endoscopic assistance under general anesthesia. Subsequent sinus augmentation and implant therapy are currently ongoing.
Case 2: A male patient with migration of a dental implant into the soft tissue adjacent to the maxillary sinus was referred to our department. Based on the surgeon’s interpretation of the computed tomography (CT) images, the implant was successfully removed on the same day under local anesthesia. To date, no further implant treatment has been initiated at the same site.
Conclusion: Because bone healing is generally favorable following removal of migrated implants using the bony window technique, subsequent maxillary sinus floor elevation can be performed successfully. In addition, with appropriate interpretation of CT images, minimally invasive removal is also feasible. Our experience may serve as a useful reference for physicians and oral and maxillofacial surgeons managing similar cases in clinical practice.
Keywords: Dental implants, Endoscopy, Maxillary sinus
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank ChatGPT (version 5.3 from OpenAI) for its assistance in improving the English language and grammar of the manuscript draft. The authors take full responsibility for the final content.
Author ContributionsTakuma Watanabe - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Yuki Nishikawa - Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Takehiro Watanabe - Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Makoto Hirota - Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guarantor of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2026 Takuma Watanabe et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
