“Mini” implants is a term to which most patients seem to relate easily. These implants have advantages that I discussed last month: Less pain, less invasive, less time, less cost, less time to heal, and less complicated. All of these “less” features seem to instinctively appeal to most patients.
I do not mean to “knock” the conventional, larger diameter implant procedures. They have a very good track record, and I have placed them for almost 20 years with great success. It’s just that with all of the advantages of this new approach, we can offer patients more for less. Who doesn’t want more for less?
I also do not slight any dentist who believes that the conventional implant system is the only viable option. I would have thought so myself if I had not completely explored and verified the success of mini implants. I would never minimize another dentist’s ability or judgement. There are truthfully too many factors in a patient’s care to honestly judge anyone’s work without knowing all of the facts.
But there are some important facts to consider about mini implants in general. They have been used successfully for more than 50 years to stabilize lower dentures. The dentist places 4-6 small diameter implants placed in the lower front jawbone and adapts a poorly functioning lower denture in one appointment. This is a standard and highly successful approach, still widely used. That concept was critical in my eventual acceptance of mini implants. If these implants can stabilize and rescue a lower denture that has so many varied and extreme forces, why couldn’t they work for single teeth, larger bridges, or full-mouth bridges? They can.
The Fabricated Implant Restorative and Surgical Technique (FIRST) system for mini implants also makes it possible to place implants in cases that were not candidates for implants. I stress the FIRST system patented by Dr. Todd Shatkin because there is a specific technique that must be followed to make mini implants so much more useful and successful.
As a Mini Dental Implant Center of America, we can explain how mini implants can benefit you in a complementary, individualized consultation. Just call our office.
