What Dental Implant Screwdriver Fits My Tooth?

What dental implant screwdriver do I use? dental implant drivers Burbank ramsey amin

Unfortunately dental implant abutment screws come in all different shapes and sizes. Because of that, there are many, many different screws that hold them together. There are also so many different instrument adapters to tighten and loosen dental implant components.

It would be nice if there was a universally accepted system for dental implants so that if a patient moves from France to Burbank, California there would be no problem in finding a dentist that could work on the implant.

implant driver --ramsey amin dds-_l

For most modern, well done dental implants, screw loosening is a thing of the past. But what is increasingly common is using the same implant for another crown or bridge. You may have had for a single tooth crown dental implant to later be used as a connecter to a bridge if you lost a tooth behind or in front of it.

Dental implant screwdrivers come in all shapes and sizes. We have hexes, slots, torques, and many other types. What size is it? Is it a size .035 ,.048 or is it .050 or .062 or .017 slot? What is the shaft length? Is the abutment torqued with a nut driver because it is a solid abutment without a hole? When you see all these tiny parts in a box they all look alike! Yikes!

The list goes on and on.

The problem is often a lack of organization in an average general dental office. The dentist perhaps does not practice implant dentistry often and is just handed a box of screwdrivers and left to figure it out until something fits. If it “kind of fits” but if it doesn’t fit perfectly the screw gets stripped!! The screwdriver also gets rounded out on the corners. After the stripped screwdriver gets sterilized it gets used on another patient and potentially can strip that screw too.

Worse yet, the implant doesn’t get tightened down fully but it is believed that it is screwed down all the way. What ends up happening is the dental implant crown or bridge becomes loose on the abutment level. The crown usually doesn’t come out when that happens, it’s just wobbles and causes gum irritation, pain and bone loss if it is left for too long.

A loose screw will also fracture leaving the broken part stuck inside. It isn’t a lot of fun to dig out!

I use a variety of dental implant systems. I use a universally accepted internally hexed implant that has a .050 hex screw. This is not a proprietary screw like some other implant systems and will make it easy for you should you have a problem in the future or just need to build on your dental implant. An example of building on your dental implant would be a patient that has 4 front teeth implants and they are losing all of their back teeth. The back teeth could be extracted, dental implants placed and a Prettau full arch zirconia screw retained bridge could be connected to the new and old implants.

I find that the wrong screwdriver problem happens more often when the surgical part of the dental implant is being done by one person, and the crown bridge or implant overdenture is being done by another dentist. This leads to a mismatch of parts sometimes if the dentist team or staff is not well aligned with each other.

These custom angulated abutments I made are held in by screws. IMG_6225 Custom Abutments -Ramsey Amin Burbank
My recommendation would be to just make a note somewhere of the type and style of implant screw you have should you ever need it. If your situation is complex I would highly suggest seeing a dental implant specialist for the best results. Their staff should be equally knowledgeable and are a key part of your implant success!

Ramsey A. Amin, D.D.S.
Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology /Implant Dentistry
Fellow-American Academy of Implant Dentistry

29 thoughts on “What Dental Implant Screwdriver Fits My Tooth?”

  1. Dear Dr. Amin,

    I have a loose implant from 15 or 20 years ago. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I have no record of it. I tried contacting two dentists I remembered, but both are retired. I’ve called several oral surgeons in the Tarzana area, but none have any records on me. I saw an oral surgeon here in Vegas who told me to get the info from the surgeon who did the implant. Aargh. Is there any other way of getting this info? If not, what would you suggest I do? Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Dear Dr Amin
    I live in Australia and all implant Specialists here are unable to tighten my implants due to not having the correct Hex driver.
    I had my implants in Bali 2014 and they were neo biotech CMI implant size 4.0 X 10mm cement retained. The Dentist there wasn’t very helpful but did advise Hex driver should be 1.25. my question is shoukd I order a long or short handle and is there any further information I require before ordering the driver, torque etc.
    Your web page is very informative, I just wish I had found it before having any implants.
    Kind regards
    Helen
    The Dentist advices that my Hex driver for

    Reply
  3. I am a general dentist in Ontario, Canada. My patient had his dental implants installed in Istanbul, Turkey, by xxxxx is the website. My patient gave me a receipt with size of implants 3.3/11.5 mm, 4.1/11.5 mm, 3.7/11.5mm, 3.3/10 mm and the label has Dental Implant KS Kernik Seviyesi. Do you have any idea what type of screw driver (such as the size, shape) I can use for unscrewing his dentures for a cleaning? Many thanks.

    Reply
  4. Good afternoon. Can you please help me? I got an implant 20 years ago and want to be sure that my dentist use the proper screwdriver for my implant. The implant is a CALCITEK OMNILOC 3.25MM and it was implanted in Mexico, but I live out of the country. I found this as the possible screw driver : https://titanimplants.com/calcitek-integral-external-spline-compatible-3-25mm-implant-titanium-bar-post-with-ti-screw-c-3ca-12/ Hope you can help me and confirm my information.

    Reply
  5. When I got my molar implant in 2016, I asked the dentist for the box that the implant came in so I could show it to a future dentist if the crown needed replacement. He used a “Dentis” brand implant made in South Korea.

    Reply
  6. Thank you for your fast positive response.

    It makes Assoc Prof Ho Kee Hai ( coden specialists, singapore ) look technically lacking as he failed to provide this information over a one month plus period.
    However seeing axel kirsch on their list of dentists indicates it all may have been a commercial charade, trying to protect information.

    Reply
  7. 1991 an imz upper front implant was undertaken in singapore. 1997 it was discovered the crown fixing screw was jammed plus the crown rotated. rotation was stopped with composite.
    Today 2020 February, the crown moves in out by 1-2mm in a vertical plane. It also rotates.
    Can u please advise the size of Hex driver for fixing the crown to a 1991 imz implant?

    Reply
  8. Hi Doc,

    I am a dentist and I have a patient with 6 upper MUA’s and 4 lower MUA’s. The patient would like new upper and lower restorations but I am not sure what components she has in her mouth. Is it possible for you to help me figure out what they may be? I have photos of the MUA’s as well as photos of the screws and X-rays. I was able to remove the screws using an 048 hex screwdriver.

    Thanks,

    Mike

    Reply
  9. Dear Sir,
    Can you supply a .9 [point nine] hexagon dental screwdriver ?
    I have had 6 implants in my upper jaw and a full dental bridge attachment.
    I cannot find a dentist in the UK who has the screwdrivers to remove my teeth for servicing.
    I had the implants fitted in Spain and I am getting rather concerned that I cannot find anyone to supply me with the equipment that I need.
    Kind regards Kenneth Wheatley

    Reply
  10. My wife’s implant from the 1990’s is loose and we can’t find the surgeon who did the work. Our current dentist doesn’t know the size/proper tool. What should we do?
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • I HAVE 25 YEAR OLD IMPLANENTS , NEVER FINISHED UP WITH FINISHED TOOTH . THEY DO NOT HAVE THE CORRECT SCREW DRIVER TYPE AND SIZE
      . CAN YOU HELP . THANK YOU FRED.

      Reply
  11. Hello ….My name is Sarah Jones, and I am in the process of getting a top denture or an implant, I was wondering which is best when it comes to chewing steaks or eating an apple, and also worry about if the denture or implant is it gonna slip or pop out and cause pain?

    Reply
    • sarah, i am not a dentist. implants are much better than dentures. dentures cause your jaw to gradually “melt” which makes your face look sunk in. the implant is sturdy for chewing after it heals for several months because your jaw bone fuses to the implant

      Reply
  12. Dear Dr. Amin,

    thank you for riding this post. I lived in a small town with only one dentist. I was having a problem with my implant so I showed him this article.

    He told me he attended one of your lectures many years ago! I will leave his name out of this but he told me he emailed you!

    Thanks for your help. The fact that you answer questions for people around the whole world is really awesome.

    Reply
    • Hi Hillary,

      Yes, what a small world! I know your dentist. I coached him on what would be the best way to treat your particular dental implant screw problem.
      Thank you for your very flattering words. I am glad to have helped.

      Ramsey A. Amin, D.D.S.
      Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology /Implant Dentistry
      Fellow-American Academy of Implant Dentistry

      Reply

Leave a Comment