Removal of screws with blunt heads is always troublesome. Screw heads get blunt if tightened too vigorously at the wrong angle. Bony ingrowth is a problem as nibbling to free the head also makes it blunt. Moreover, a higher torque is needed to remove screws than to insert them.1
I propose using the foil from any suture material cover. This has the stiffness of a metal but is quite malleable enough to be wrapped snugly around a screwdriver tip. Moreover, it is sterile. I have found the foil to be more robust and reliable than gauze for the same purpose.
Footnotes
Reference
- 1.Gotfredsen K, Berglundh T, Lindhe J. Anchorage of titanium implants with different surface characteristics: an experimental study in rabbits. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res. 2000;2:120–8. doi: 10.1111/j.1708-8208.2000.tb00002.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]