Mini Dental Implants
Have you talked to the dentist about replacing your missing teeth with dental implants but the dentist did not think your jaw bone was healthy enough to support implants? While traditional implants require your jaw bone to be dense enough to support the implanted screws and surgery to place the screws into your gums, mini dental implants are a new option that may be an alternative for you. If you are concerned that you are not healthy enough for surgery or that your bone degeneration has gone too far to consider dental implants, talk to the dentist about mini dental implants.
Mini dental implants are equally effective when compared to conventional implants, but they are smaller in length and diameter. The difference in size allows for a less complicated and involved procedure. The requirements for mini dental implants are different and they even have a different price tag than traditional dental implants.
Mini Dental Implants
No matter the size of the implant, the dentist places a post below your gums into you jaw bone. There is an attachment added to the top of the post called an abutment where the replacement tooth is fixed. For traditional dental implants, the two-part implant is usually 3.25 to 5 millimeters in diameter. For mini dental implants, the implant is one piece and it less than 3 millimeters in diameter. Instead of a separate abutment on top of the gums, mini dental implants have a ball-shaped end where the replacement tooth attaches.
Placing Mini Dental Implants
Traditional dental implants require surgery to place the implant below the gums and can require general anesthesia. Mini dental implants can be placed in a less invasive procedure; they are put over the surface of the gums when they are placed into the jaw bone. Conventional dental implants may take up to six months to complete depending on how your body heals because there is usually more than one appointment. If your bone or gum tissue is not dense enough to support the conventional implant, the dentist may need to perform additional procedures like a bone graft to prepare your mouth for the implant. The added procedures will increase the amount of time your mouth needs to heal. Mini dental implants are often placed by the dentist in your mouth during one appointment and with a simple local anesthetic.
Why Mini Dental Implants?
If you have been told you are not an ideal candidate for traditional dental implants in the past, mini dental implants can be the alternative you have been waiting for. Mini dental implants will work when you have been told no to conventional dental implants because:
- You are not an ideal candidate for invasive surgery
- You do not have the flexibility or time to keep multiple dental appointments
- You do not have bone tissue in your jaw to support a regular sized implant
When mini dental implants can be used in these instances, the expectation is that the use of mini dental implants will increase in popularity. The price of dental implants may continue to increase as the materials advance, but mini dental implants have a smaller price tag. Traditional dental implants can cost between $1,500 to $6,000 per tooth whereas mini dental implants can cost between $500 to $1,500.