Information on Mini Dental Implants

Written By Amanda Breanne
Article Source: http://www.hubpages.com

If you have either lost your teeth, or had to have some removed because of decay or damage, then you may have begun to look into different dental implant options in order to figure out which kind may be best for you. While there are different types, one of the most popular versions currently are mini dental implants. Sometimes referred to as MDIs, these miniature implants are smaller than the traditional dental implants that were once used. When they were designed and created originally, it was for retaining dentures, but now the mini dental implant is used for many different reasons.

While there may be a lot of confusion about what your options are when it comes to mini dental implants for dentures, do not let that frustrate you. I am going to try to help you to understand how they work, the mini dental implants cost, and how to decide if they are right for you.

How Mini Dental Implants Work

There are two main pieces, with one of them being the actual mini dental implant dentures and the other being the implant itself. The implant is a miniature titanium rod that has two ends. The first end is a screw and the other end is a ball shape that allows it to connect into the actual dentures. The titanium dental implant is one solid piece for additional sturdiness.

The dentures feature a socket connect on the base, that fit directly with the ball-shaped head of the implants. The dentures also feature a rubber o-ring that create the proper force in order to hold the implants in place. This suction allows you to still talk and eat like normal without the dentures being forced off. In order to remove the dentures, all you need to do is to apply more force than usually, and that will enable you to remove the dentures safely.

Mini Dental Implants vs Traditional Dental Implants

While researching, you may not fully realize the difference between mini dental implants and the traditionally used dental implants. Obviously, as the name implies, one of the major differences is size. While a traditional implant is between 4mm and 5.75mm in size, the mini plants are just 2mm in size. This make installation of them easier than the traditional ones, and it also allows them to be implanted on narrower areas that were previously hard to access with traditional implants.

Mini Dental Implant Installation

When it comes to surgical procedures, we can sometimes become hesitant because of the very nature of them. If you have had to have any other type of dental surgery, then you can kind of know what to expect, but the mini implants dental procedure is not bad at all.

Here are some of the details about the installation surgery:

• Single stage procedure (whereas the traditional method is two stage),
• The procedure takes only about 2 hours or less,
• The surgery is only minimally invasive, and there is no gum cutting and you won't need to have any stitches removed. 
• A pilot hole is first drilled into the jaw bone,
• The implant is screwed in so that only the the ball top is showing.

Denture Stabilization with Mini Dental Implants

Often times, dentures that have been installed previously get loose pretty easily, especially over time, and this can cause a problem for the denture wearer, like when trying to eat or carry on a long conversation. Luckily, mini dental implants can help. They'll create a socket in the dentures, and make one, maybe two implants with the MDIs, and use those in order to provide better stabilization for the loose dentures.

Cost of Mini Dental Implants

One of the first things that comes to people's mind when it comes to surgical procedures and dental procedures is the cost. Since MDI's are in both categories, it can definitely cause you to pause for a second and consider if they are right for you. Many of the people who are interested in the mini dental implants price are on a fixed income. Usually this income pays for just enough of your bills, and so adding additional costs and burdens to an already burdened income can be tough.

The good news is that mini dental implants can actually be up to 60% cheaper than the traditional types of dental implants.

Since prices range from dentist to dentist, it is hard to put a specific price on these. Definitely talk to a few different dentists in your area to get different quotes. Be sure to ask them about what hidden fees you might incur, in order to get a more accurate quote. These hidden fees can sometimes be inevitable, because each individual and their situation is different.

You may want to look into dental insurance because this can be a great way to get the costs of this procedure down. Many leading dental insurance companies can cover 75%-100% of the cost of mini dental implants, and so you'll definitely want to find ones that you are eligible for.