What Are Mini Dental Implants?
Mini dental implants are ultra-small diameter (l.8 millimeter width),
bio compatible titanium alloy implant screws which are precisely
placed through the gum into the jawbones to provide secure connections
for false teeth. This innovative system was formally introduced
to the United States dental community at an implant conference in
Orlando, Florida in April, l999 and due to its immediate and long
term benefits for patients, now represents one of the fastest growing
methods of improving the quality of life for patients who wear dentures.
When critically needed for support purposes, and where solid bony
adaptation (integration) has clearly occurred, mini implants can
function as long-term supporting structures rather than as short-term
or medium term devices. In fact, some have been successfully functioning
in patients' jaws for several decades. In the past several years,
some clinicians have been utilizing MDI's for single tooth replacements
and in crown and bridge cases.
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. In Australia, recent surveys indicate that over
50% of the community over the age of 65 are "edentulous"
(literally meaning lacking teeth). Successful placement of the Mini
Dental Implant addresses and solves all of these social and practical
problems. Denture patients all over the world have experienced relief
from loose or fill-fitting dentures from doctors who are trained
to place the MDI. Uniquely, the MDI can be utilized to stabilize
a denture in a couple of hours by a trained dental implantologist,
with the patient leaving the clinic with a stabilized prosthesis.
How specifically can Mini Dental Implants help denture wearers?
The standard insertion protocol for mini dental implants calls for four of them to be gently screwed into the front of a patient's lower jaw. This is a relatively painless procedure that can be performed by a qualified, trained and experienced implant dentist, requiring only a mild anesthesia. The mini dental implants, which are approximately the size of wooden toothpicks, are placed about five millimeters apart in the patient's upper or lower jaw. The patient's denture is then carefully adjusted by the dentist or prosthetics to allow it to snap onto the four mini implants.
