Mini Dental Implants
If you have a missing tooth or teeth you are looking to replace to restore your smile or to help your overall dental health, you may have talked to the dentist about dental implants. If the dentist is concerned about the health of your jaw bone and does not think it is healthy enough for traditional dental implants, mini dental implants may be an option for you. For other people, the idea of invasive surgery is not optimal and they don’t want go through the full process of a regular implant. Mini dental implants are a great alternative for those people too.
Dental Implants
When you are discussing options for replacing missing teeth, the dentist can offer dental bridges, dentures, or dental implants. With dental bridges and dentures, the replacement teeth sit on top of the gums using the teeth on either side or the gums as a support. Dental implants are inserted below the gumline and use the jawbone as a support for permanent placement. The oral surgeon places a titanium rod as a support for a replacement tooth to attach to via an abutment. Traditional dental implants usually take multiple visits and are completed over the course of several months. Before the prosthetic tooth can be attached to the implant, the rod needs to osseointegrate with or grow into the jaw bone. Many people prefer dental implants over dentures because the implants do not shift and offer people the opportunity to eat and chew like they would with natural teeth. Not everyone has a jaw bone that is healthy enough to support a dental implant.
Mini Dental Implants
While mini dental implants are structurally similar to traditional dental implants, they are smaller to accommodate people who can’t support regular implants. The Mini Dental Implant Centers of America describe mini implants as a titanium post with a round abutment on the end. The artificial tooth is attached to the post with a socket sealed with a rubber O-ring. An article in the Journal of Oral Implantology describes regular implants as 3.4 to 5.8 mm wide and mini implants as 1.8 to 3.3 mm in diameter.
What They Can Replace
When talking to the dentist about mini implants, be sure to discuss which teeth you are looking to replace as mini implants can replace most types of teeth but not all. If you have loose dentures or you have lower arch dentures, then mini implants may be able to support them and keep them in place. In some cases, mini implants can support full dentures, bridges, and fixed crowns.
Mini Implant Options
If you are planning on regular implants, you will schedule at least two visits to the office. In some instances, people need bone grafting, root canals, and other procedures to ensure their mouth is healthy enough for implants. For the people who are not willing to have invasive surgery or the people who do have a strong enough jaw bone, mini implants can be completed fewer dental appointments. Often mini implants can be placed in one visit with local anesthesia and without stitches and can be used the same day.
Caring for Mini Implants
Just like your regular teeth, your mini implant needs brushing, flossing and twice yearly dental appointments. The dentist may have additional instructions for caring for your mini implants after surgery.