A missing implant passport can make a replacement crown harder to organize. Start by assembling a repair handoff for the new dentist: what is documented, where the information came from and what still needs confirmation. A brand guessed from a photograph should remain a guess in that record.
The FDA recommends keeping the implant brand and model. If those details were never supplied, the next useful step is a records request and an appointment with a dentist who can assess the existing restoration.
Build a record with a certainty column
Use one row for each implant site. Keep the source beside the detail so an old invoice, a patient recollection and a clinician's confirmed identification do not look equally certain.
| Field | What to attach or ask | Status to record |
|---|---|---|
| Implant location | Ask the dentist to label the tooth position and numbering system. | Clinician confirmed or location to confirm |
| Placement history | Original clinic, approximate date and surgeon if known | Documented date or patient recollection |
| Implant identity | Manufacturer, product line and reference label | Documented, suspected or unknown |
| Dimensions and connection | Existing device labels or the treating dentist's findings | Verified details or confirmation needed |
| Restorative components | Abutment and crown records, including later replacements | Current restoration or historical entry |
| Images and laboratory records | Available radiographs, reports and laboratory contact details | File attached or permission to request it |
This is an organizing worksheet, not a completed device passport. Leave an unknown field open rather than filling it with a plausible product name.
When the original practice has closed
Try its former contact channels and ask whether another practice or records custodian now holds the files. The office that made the crown may have separate records from the surgeon who placed the implant. A laboratory's details on a receipt can be another lead, though it may need a request from your dentist before releasing information.
A focused request is easier to handle than "send everything about my implant." You can adapt this wording:
Please send the available implant placement record and device labels, the tooth positions, relevant radiographs and the records for the current abutment and crown. If these records are held elsewhere, please tell me whom to contact.
Record unanswered requests too. The new dentist then knows which routes have already been tried. Record retention and access arrangements differ by location; a closed practice does not guarantee that its files can still be recovered.
Identification and component selection are separate
An implant name does not describe every part of its restoration. The Neodent passport, for example, has spaces for implant data and restorative components. This is why an old card may be useful yet incomplete after a crown or abutment has been changed.
Ask the new dentist what they can establish from the available records, what needs clinical verification and whether the laboratory requires further information before ordering. Identification tools can suggest a candidate, but the treating team must establish which components are appropriate. Do not buy a replacement screw based on an online resemblance.
For the terminology behind these discussions, see implant connection types. A separate driver and screw-channel handoff helps preserve the details of the finished crown.
Make the next appointment specific
Tell the practice that the implant system is unknown when booking. Ask whether the visit includes assessment of the existing restoration and what previous images you should bring. If the implant feels loose or painful, contact a dental provider promptly rather than waiting for the paperwork to be complete, as the FDA advises.
After identification or repair, request an updated copy of the record. Store it with the date and the name of the clinician who confirmed each new detail.
Sources accessed October 12, 2026. This patient guide supports record preparation; it does not identify an implant or determine treatment.