Mini-Implant

Mini implants come in four diameters (1.8mm, 2.1mm, 2.4mm and 2.9mm), and each diameter and comes in 4 lengths (10mm, 13mm, 15mm, and 18mm). The the 2.9mm diameter mini is called is called a "Hybrid" since it is nearly the diameter of the smallest available rootform implant, but can still be placed using the simplified surgical procedure shown below. Hybrids are used exclusively for the softer bone densities found in the upper arch. The smaller diameter implants are for the denser bone types. The length chosen by the surgeon is determined by the amount of vertical bone available to retain the implant. Very dense cortical bone is better served with a shorter, thinner implant. Generally, four mini implants are placed in the anterior portion of the lower jaw.

Unlike standard implants, mini implants allow immediate loading. This means that the patient walks out of the office on the day of surgery with a lower denture which is not only solidly stable, but can be used to eat immediately. Mini implants can often (not always) be placed in the lower jaw without cutting an incision in the gums. in other words, they can often be placed right through the gums directly into the underlying bone. Most of the time, the only anesthetic necessary is an injection directly over the position in the gums where each implant is to be placed. The old lower denture can then be retrofitted over the newly placed implants, and the patient can use the denture immediately without waiting for the three to six months necessary for a standard implant to integrate. Furthermore, because the implants are about the size of a standard wooden toothpick (they are made out of a titanium alloy), patients who have been told that there is not enough bone to accommodate standard implants can generally be fitted with minis. The entire procedure (placing the implants and retrofitting the old denture so that it is supported by the newly placed minis) takes about 90 minutes. It is generally painless, and produces very minimal post operative discomfort.

Patients can be fitted with these implants and begin using the newly stabilized denture immediately because these implants do not require months of waiting time to integrate. The implants are "screwed" firmly into the bone so integration is immediate (although further integration on a microscopic level has been shown to take place for months after the initial placement of the implant. Finally, since the procedure generally involves no major incisions, there are very few contra-indications to the surgery.