Mini Dental Implants
Frequently Asked Questions about Mini Dental Implants:
What are Mini Dental Implants?
The Mini Dental Implant System consists of a miniature titanium implant that acts like the root of your tooth and a retaining fixture that is incorporated into the base of your denture. The head of the implant is shaped like a ball and the retaining fixture acts like a socket that contains a rubber O-ring. The O-ring snaps over the ball when the denture is seated and holds the denture at a predetermined level of force. When seated, the denture gently rests on the gum tissue. The implant fixtures allow for micro-mobility while withstanding natural lifting forces. To discuss having mini dental implant placement, please call our office and schedule a consultation with Dr. Burns.
When can Mini Dental Implants be used?
When critically needed for support purposes, and where solid bone exists, mini dental implants can function as long-term supporting structures, rather than as short-term or medium term devices. In fact, some have been successfully functioning in patients’ jaws for several decades. In the past several years, some clinicians have been utilizing mini dental implants for single tooth replacements and in crown and bridge cases.
What’s the most-effective use for Mini Dental Implants?
The most effective use of this unique dental product is stabilization of a lower denture. There are approximately 50,000,000 people in the United States who are “edentulous” (lacking teeth) who struggle daily with prosthetic devices. A majority suffer a great deal of discomfort as a result of loose or ill-fitting dentures. Many denture-wearers simply withdraw from any type of social engagement as a result of being compelled to wear them. Moreover, it’s not uncommon for family members to complain about a denture-wearer’s disagreeable breath as a result of food being trapped and decaying under their denture prosthesis. Successful placement of the mini dental implant can address all of these social and practical problems.
What is the process for Mini Dental Implant placement?
The standard insertion protocol for mini dental implants calls for 2 – 4 of them to be placed in the front of a patient’s jaw. This is a relatively painless procedure that can be performed by Dr. Burns, usually requiring only a mild anesthesia. The mini dental implants, which are approximately the size of wooden toothpicks, are placed about five millimeters apart in the patient’s upper or lower jaw. The procedure usually takes about an hour. After a period of healing, the patient’s denture is then carefully adjusted by their general dentist to allow it to snap onto the mini implants. The result? A tight-fitting, completely reliable system that allows a patient to speak and eat with confidence. Further, a denture patient who has had his or her prosthesis stabilized with mini dental implants can remove and replace the denture easily after little practice, and can easily utilize good dental hygiene.
How can Mini Dental Implants withstand normal chewing forces?
It’s true that what the dental profession calls “occlusal forces” create dynamic pressures on the human jaw. The mini dental implant is made of titanium alloy, a combination of titanium and other metals that is known to be stronger than any other metal. The bottom line of this discussion area is simple: If a denture patient has sufficient bone mass to create a stable placement of the tiny implant, which Dr. Burns can usually determine by an initial examination, the mini dental implants will generally withstand normal chewing forces just like natural teeth. Fractures are extremely rare, but as is the case with a person’s normal teeth, can occur.