Economical and Minimally Invasive Implants For Teeth Replacement

By Neil R. Woods, DDS

. https://severnaparkdentistry.com/

More Dental Health Articles

Economical and Minimally Invasive Implants For Teeth Replacement

Mini dental implants can be used to provide titanium tooth “roots” to support crowns, dental bridges and dentures. They were developed in 1983 and FDA approved for long-term use. Many patients have had their mini implant-supported restorations for many years.

What Are Mini Dental Implants?

Mini dental implants are essentially the same as traditional implants; they are made out of durable, non-corrosive titanium and are inserted into the jawbone below the gum line to provide anchors for new teeth. Mini implants, however, are typically half the diameter of traditional implants, allowing them to be used in places where full-size implants can’t, such as areas where there isn’t much room or where the patient doesn’t have enough bone mass.

Dentists use both mini implants (narrow) and wider-bodied implants, and after a thorough exam and taking all factors into consideration, will choose the best type of implant for the individual patient.

Uses of Mini Dental Implants

Mini implants have made wearing dentures a much better experience for so many people. The implants add stability and chewing power to dentures. Mini implants can also be used to support a bridge or a single crown. Bridges and crowns are permanently fixed onto the mini dental implants, and dentures are fitted with snaps so that they can be easily removed when needed by the wearer.

Snap-in Dentures with Mini Dental Implants

Mini dental implants are an excellent method of stabilizing dentures. Dentures stabilized with mini dental implants return up to 90% of chewing power, compared to about 10% that dentures provide.

Dentists generally place six implants in the lower jaw and eight implants in the upper jaw, which requires more support. This gives the denture teeth sufficient support to look as if they are emerging naturally from the gum and to do away with the false palate roof covering.

The head of the mini implant is shaped like a ball that fits into a socket in the denture. The socket contains a rubber O-ring to create a tight seal and allow for the pressure of chewing. Your dentures can now be easily snapped on and off.

Snap-on dentures can be slept in although they should be removed for cleaning.

Mini dental implants are placed in a one-stage procedure that involves minimally invasive insertion of the implants into the jawbone. The procedure takes less than two hours and no cutting or suturing is needed, nor the typical months of healing, mini implants are immediately integrated.

Your dentist can attach the restoration – your denture retrofitted, a new temporary denture, crown or bridge – to the implants on the same visit. The mini implants are strong enough to allow pressure on them within hours.

If extractions are needed, your dentist can perform these and immediately place the mini dental implants.

Advantages of Mini Dental Implants:

• Mini implants insertion is a minimally invasive procedure

• Virtually no healing period after implantation

• Little to no pain or discomfort post-treatment

• Mini implants are an affordable way to securely replace missing teeth