Existing Implant: Revise It or Remove It? | Dr. Kimberly Schlam | Spear Summit 2026

What should dentists do with existing implants that may no longer support long-term success?

In this Spear Summit 2026 Power Talk, Dr. Kimberly Schlam shares a practical framework for deciding whether an existing implant should be restored, revised, buried or removed.

Spear Summit 2026 is Spear Education’s annual event for dentists, specialists, hygienists and practice leaders focused on clinical growth, treatment planning, leadership and the future of dentistry.

In this presentation, Dr. Schlam walks through real patient cases involving failing restorations, implant complications, full-arch treatment planning and modern prosthetic decision-making.

She challenges the idea that every implant should automatically be saved or replaced.

Instead, she focuses on stewardship, how to evaluate risk, how to preserve healthy structure and how to make better long-term decisions for patients.

Inside this Power Talk:
• When to restore vs remove an existing implant
• How implant position impacts future restorative success
• Full-arch treatment planning with existing implants
• FP3 prosthetic planning and digital workflows
• Why preserving healthy bone matters
• A practical decision-making algorithm clinicians can apply immediately

One of the biggest takeaways from this session:
“Implant dentistry is no longer about placement. It’s about stewardship.”
This video is for dentists, restorative clinicians, implant dentists, prosthodontists, and treatment planners looking to improve implant decision-making and create more predictable long-term outcomes.

Chapters:
00:06 Introduction and Existing Implant Overview
00:35 Why Patients Feel Implants Are “Their Teeth”
00:50 Why Dental Implants Feel Life-Changing
01:17 Digital Dentistry, SmileCloud, and Visual Planning
01:54 The Missing Conversation Around Implant Complications
02:14 Why Existing Implant Revision Cases Are Increasing
02:36 Why Implants Are Less Predictable Than Teeth
02:46 Why Implant Revisions Become Complex
03:04 The Lack of Consensus Around Implant Complications
03:25 A Practical 3-Step Implant Decision Framework
03:44 Step 1: Can You Identify the Implant?
04:25 Using AI to Identify Unknown Implants
05:11 Why Implant Documentation Matters
05:44 Implant Registries and Long-Term Tracking
06:05 Step 2: Will the Implant Cause Future Harm?
06:28 Evaluating Implant Stability and Adjacent Risk
06:52 Step 3: Does It Support the Future Prosthetic Plan?
07:09 “Support the Plan or Get Out of the Way”
07:24 Case Study: When an Implant Should Be Removed
08:00 Choosing Orthodontics and Resin Restoration Instead
08:57 Using Existing Implants for Full-Arch Restorations
09:39 Applying the 3-Step Implant Algorithm
09:58 FP3 Treatment Planning With Existing Implants
10:32 “Implant Dentistry Is About Stewardship”
10:53 Closing Thoughts and Final Takeaways

Watch more Spear Talks and continuing education inside Spear Online:
https://app.speareducation.com/library/courses?indexName=live_course_library&facet=JTVCJTIyY2F0ZWdvcmllcy5sdmwwJTNBU3VtbWl0JTIwUHJlc2VudGF0aW9ucyUyMiU1RA%3D%3D


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