What You Need to Know About Mini Dental Implants

By : Affordable Dentist | June 21, 2017

Choosing the right dental procedure for your teeth can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to replacing missing teeth that were lost due to injury or disease. Dental implants are a long term option that offer a solid foundation for replacement teeth.

What are Dental Implants?

Considered as one of the biggest advances in dentistry in the past 40 years, dental implants are titanium made posts which are surgically placed in the upper or lower jaw.

The jawbone naturally grows around them over a period of three to six months, making them even stronger and more resilient.

A dental crown can be secured using a single implant while multiple crowns or a dental bridge can be secured using multiple implants.

What are Mini Dental Implants?

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Nowadays, mini dental implants are offered as a modern alternative to traditional implants. A single mini dental implant is half the size of a regular implant and is made of a titanium screw that can be inserted directly through the gums and into the jaw.

This screw has a ball on one end and a socket with a rubber O-ring that attaches the titanium screw to the dental crown.

Mini dental implants are ideal for:

Older patients whose bodies no longer tolerate surgery

Patients suffering from low bone density

Patients who cannot undergo a bone grafting procedure due to their health or age

Patients with limited space in their jaw bone for regular sized implants

Due to their small size, mini dental implants are commonly used for:

Small teeth

Front Teeth

Narrow areas

Pre-molars

Securing loose and lower arch dentures.

Mini dental implants have the following advantages:

They do not require complex surgery: mini dental implants can be inserted using a flapless procedure, so no incision through the gum is needed.

The procedure is minimally invasive: the possibility of infection or injury to the gums or jaw bone is reduced because the procedure is done with very little disturbance to the structure of the mouth.

They prevent facial collapse: having implants in the jaw keeps the bone from deteriorating. This deterioration leads to sagging cheekbones and skin.

The implant procedure can be completed in one visit: efficient and practical, mini dental implants can support a dental crown right away. Regular implants, on the other hand, require a longer period of healing and adjustment. In addition, the patient has to wear a temporary crown which means more visits to the dentist which can be costly and time consuming.

Rare complications: since the procedure itself is minimally invasive with short healing time, the risk of complications is much lower compared to regular implants.

They are cost-effective: one mini dental implant costs around half the price of a regular implant which makes it more affordable.

They not only restore teeth: they can also restore the confidence of patients who are able to feel relaxed and at ease in social settings thanks to their implant supported teeth.