Mini dental implants are an alternative to traditional dental implants but are used typically in situations where a mini implant is needed to fit a narrow location. They are used to reinstate missing teeth to maintain good oral health. Small teeth and incisors are good candidates for mini implants as they are the devices that require equalization such as lower jaw dentures.
In the past few years, tremendous advancements in braces technology have been put forward. The orthodontic mini and micro implant anchors provided by the dentists are helpful for correction of uneven teeth, molar uprighting, space closures, correction of open bites and other tooth movements. These implants benefit with the results that may not be accomplished with braces alone. Orthodontic dental implants aid the patient with greater comfort that means no lip bumpers, headgears & other auxiliaries; it simply reduces the compliance required and speeds up treatment.
Mini dental implants are used to reconstruct lost teeth in the following areas.
- Front teeth
- Small teeth
- Pre-molars
Teeth located in narrow areas
These implants are used to steadily secure and hold dentures into place, providing a most efficient and trustworthy way to secure them over adhesives, and preventing them from slipping out of place. Denture wearers will find that dentures secured with mini dental implants which make it easier to speak, eat and smile with confidence. Mini dental implants are roughly half of the size of traditional implants and are beneficial to patients who have experienced bone loss.
How mini dental implants are beneficial?
- Mini dental implants cost less.
- Mini dental implants are about half the diameter. And do not contain a screw.
- In the event of dental implant failure, these implants do not require grafting.
Mini dental implants heal faster, less invasive and have shorter procedure times.
Treatment planning
Mini dental implants are used to provide stability to patients with partial dentures or dentures. Mini implants that are used to secure dentures are single piece, where they do not have a screw hole into which other elements can be attached.
- A ball shaped, small portion of the implant snaps securely and sticks out of the gums into a retaining socket contained on the inside of a denture.
- This creates a stable denture which does not suffer from problems such as popping out, movement and application of messy adhesives.
- The dentures remain on the gum tissue but the place at which the implant connects keeps them from slipping.
Mini dental implant procedure is much easier and quicker than that of traditional dental implant and can often be performed in a single visit. Though many patients have the implants placed under local anesthetic, many of them still opt for dental sedation. Mini dental implants are positioned into the bone in such a way that no sensory nerves are located in that point. This results in quick recovery times and post operative discomfort. Patients are given antibiotics after and before the procedure to ensure that the implants do not cause infection before the bone has the chance to heal around.
Orthodontic pins are made of titanium that are about half the length of your thumbnail and no wider than the head of a straight pin. Unlike other types of dental implants, placement if minimally intrusive and often completed using a topical anesthetic. These implants are directly inserted into the jaw by using a special instrument. They are set at the place where the teeth require moving, without compromising on the position of the teeth. There is no or little discomfort due to the absence of the nerve endings in the outer layer of the bone tissue. As the name implies the anchorage device is not permanent and is taken out in few months when it is no longer needed to serve in tooth movement.