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What Are Mini Dental Implants?
As their name implies, Mini Dental Implants are smaller versions of conventional implants that are primarily used to stabilize dentures in patients whose jaw bones are insufficient to support a denture. As you can see from the picture to the right, Mini Dental Implants act like the roots of your teeth and are constructed with titanium alloy, the strongest metal on earth. The head of the implant is shaped like a ball and is used to retain dentures through a system of metal housings and O-rings that can be retrofitted to your existing denture or built into a new denture. The O-ring snaps over the ball when the denture is seated and holds the denture in place. Mini Dental Implants have been extensively researched since the 1970s and were FDA approved for long term denture stabilization in 1999. The success rate for Mini Dental Implants for denture stabilization exceeds 90%.
What's the primary and 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 (missing all teeth), many of whom 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 dentures. Successful placement of Mini Dental Implants addresses and solves all of these social and practical problems.
What is the procedure like?
One of the many benefits of Mini Dental Implants is the comfort of the procedure for the patient. This is a relatively painless procedure that can be performed with only mild anesthesia. The patient can be awake and comfortable during the entire procedure. The standard protocol calls for four Mini Dental Implants to be placed in the lower jaw and six in the upper. Many patients choose to initially do just the lower denture as it is supported by less bone and consequently becomes very ill-fitting over time. Through x-rays and clinical exams, the best positions for the Mini Dental Implants are determined and pilot holes created in those sites. Mini Dental Implants are then gently placed into those sites until only the head of the implant is visible. The patient's denture is then carefully adjusted by the dentist to allow it to snap onto the Mini Dental Implants. The result? A tight fitting, completely reliable system that allows a patient to speak and eat with confidence. The entire process can be performed in about 2 hours. Because of the unique, minimally invasive nature of the procedure, an Mini Dental Implant patient can enjoy a light meal an hour or so after having Mini Dental Implants placed.
What about failures with Mini Dental Implants?
It must be recognized that all implant systems as well as natural teeth are subject to potential failure due to natural causes, poor oral hygiene, heavy biting habits, poor health and a lack of follow-up dental care. With this being said, Mini Dental Implants for denture stabilization have greater than a 90% success rate, which is comparable to conventional implant therapy for the replacement of missing teeth. However, the loss of an Mini Dental Implant is a far less critical event to the patient since it may be replaced at relatively minimal cost compared to conventional implants, and with minimal associated bone or gum deterioration.
How are Mini Dental Implants different?
As a revolutionary departure from routine dental implant methods, the small width of Mini Dental Implants allow for direct placement through the overlying gum tissue and into the bone underneath. Consequently the need to surgically cut open the gum tissue, routinely required for standard implant systems, is avoided in most Mini Dental Implant procedures. As a result, post-operative pain and soreness are significantly reduced. While all dental implants require care during insertion to avoid encroaching on vulnerable nerve, sinus or bony structures, the small width of the Mini Dental Implants offers a much more comfortable margin of safety.
What will my first day be like with Mini Dental Implants?
There will be some mild discomfort but this should be minimal and controlled by recommended pain medication. You should not experience any excessive bleeding. The denture should feel secure. You may eat about an hour after the procedure but should avoid excessively hard or sticky foods at first. You should leave the denture in place for the first 48 hours except for cleaning. Upon removing the denture, rinse your mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash and carefully clean around each implant fixture with a cotton swab dipped in mouthwash. After three days, you can begin brushing the fixtures with a toothbrush.
How do I place & remove my dentures?
The Mini Dental Implants and O-ring fixture must be clean and free from debris. Grasp the denture with both hands and lightly seat the denture, feeling that the O-rings are resting above the ball head of the implants, then press down firmly and equally on both sides. Make sure that you feel the implant heads easily fitting each O-ring. You will feel the denture snap into place. If you have trouble seating your denture, first make sure the implants and your denture are absolutely clean. Secondly, make sure that you push downward equally on both sides. If you are still experiencing difficulty, see if a family member can give you assistance. To remove the denture, place your thumbs under each side of the denture rim and gently push both sides of the denture off the Mini Dental Implants.
What's a typical daily routine one might expect once the Mini Dental Implants have been placed?
As with all dental proecedures, there's a short adjustment period during which time you become comfortable placing and removing the denture. Typically, this involves removal of the lower denture in the morning, brushing the gums and implant area with a toothbrush, rinsing the mouth, rinsing the denture itself, then replacing it.
You must clean and brush the ball of the implant as if they were your natural teeth. As with natural teeth, food and bacterial debris must be removed or inflammation of the gums will occur. In addition, food and debris can be forced into the O-ring fixture causing improper seating and loss of retention. The O-ring fixture must also be cleaned out.
The result is a normal day's activity for you, including eating, talking, taking a nap, etc. Then, in the evening, the denture is usually removed again and cleaned, and the mouth thoroughly rinsed. The result is a fully functioning dental appliance that works.
I've heard that standard dental implants are quite expensive. What about Mini Dental Implants?
Mini Dental Implants are surprisingly affordable, and are usually available at a fraction of the cost of traditional implants. By choosing the Mini Dental Implant, you've chosen an enhanced way of life free of a lot of the discomforts and heartaches of a loose or ill-fitting denture. That's worth a lot!
Call Traders Point Dental today at 872-GRIN (4746) to take back control of your life!
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