Of course they can, about 2 years after.
However it may not need to, at least for titanium plates that doesn't corrode over time.
I have a plate in my right tibia for about 6 years, after the correction I did.due to malunion from monorails, and my doctor recommended to not do a surgery just to remove it as there is no reason if it doesn't bother me.
The truth is that sometimes if I stand for much time I have some irritation but nothing major.
Maybe in the future I will remove it but I am not sure if I should do a surgery for something that it should not cause any problem in the long run.
That said, if the plates are from material that corrodes over time then they must be absolutely removed after a few years.