Minimal incision removable bone screw

A one-piece bone screw made of a biocompatible material, the bone screw comprising:

• a thread at a distal end of the screw, the thread having a major diameter and a minor diameter;
• and
• an enlarged head at a proximal end of the screw the head comprising a bone-engaging convex compression surface spaced distally from a proximal end of the head, the head being circular in cross-section, the head being formed without a neck between the proximal end of the head and the compression surface, the head having an axially extending socket at its proximal end,
• a distance from the proximal end of the head to the distal end of the compression surface being from two to six times the major diameter of the thread;
• the bone screw being sized and shaped to fix bone fragments of an osteotomy or fracture of a bone by screwing into a distal fragment and engaging a proximal fragment with the compression surface on the screw, the exterior of the head from the proximal end of the head to a distal end of the compression surface having a smooth outline without sharp edges to permit easy insertion and extraction of the bone screw through an incision, the screw being configured for placement of the head below the skin of a patient, the screw further being configured to be located and removed after bone healing has progressed.