The aim of the present experiment was to study the effect of a long-standing lateral static load on the peri-implant bone. Three beagle dogs were used. The mandibular premolars were extracted and 12 weeks later 3 titanium implants (ITI(R) Dental Implant System) were installed in each quadrant. Crowns were fitted to all implants 12 weeks after the installation procedure. The anterior and central crowns were fused and connected to the posterior crown by an expansion screw. In the right side of the mandible, the expansion screws were activated every 2 weeks during a 46-week period. During the last 10 weeks of this period, an expansion force similar to that of the right side was applied in the left. The animals were sacrificed and block biopsies of each implant site harvested and prepared for histological analysis. Sites subjected to 10 weeks or 46 weeks of lateral load had a similar (i) distribution of bone markers (ii) proportion of bone density and (iii) degree of bone-to-implant contact. The proportion of fluorochromes was higher at sites subjected to 10 weeks of loading than at sites subjected to 46 weeks of loading.