There is so much innovation and progress in dentistry you either grow or wither. Dental implants are one of those amazing advances and it seemed we had reached the pinnacle of dental care. Dental implants are probably the biggest leap forward since “novocaine” or water-cooled high speed handpieces.
Conventional, large-diameter dental implants have been around since the mid-1980s and have been very successful. Opinions vary on techniques and materials, but they all have approximately equal success. Now we realize even implants have room for improvement.
“Mini” dental implants are the next step up the ladder of progress. These smaller diameter implants have several distinct advantages over conventional implants:
- Less pain. (I recently placed one in a patient without anesthetic–at their request)
- Less invasive. We make only a small guide path–no surgery, usually no bone grafting.
- Less time. Mini implants can be placed and restored in one or two visits.
- Less cost. They’re half the cost of conventional implants.
- Less time to heal. They can be restored and placed into function immediately, unlike conventional implants which take 8-12 months.
Mini Implants have been around for decades, initially for stabilizing dentures. A complete lower denture is the most difficult prosthesis in dentistry. Mini implants have made lower dentures a predictable and very functional replacement for missing teeth. Since then mini dental implants have been used to replace single and or multiple missing teeth. Now patients can get rid of bridges and dentures permanently and enjoy “new teeth” with mini implants.
As the success rate of mini implants continues to rise, more and more dentists are accepting and implement them in their practice. Dr. Todd Shatkin, a Buffalo, New York dentist, has placed and restored over 20,000 mini implants with a success rate greater than that of conventional implants. If you or a loved one have been considering implants, or are already scheduled for implants, call our office today for a free consultation to determine if mini implants are the solution for you.
More next month.
