If your denture becomes loose and you can’t rely on its stability even in everyday situations, it is time to reconsider the technique by which the dental prosthesis is held in the mouth. Flaws of fixed dentures impact patients’ quality of life. Problems occur especially when consuming foods that are particularly hard, which get stuck under the denture. However, it often impacts the feeling of self-comfort and self-confidence while communicating with others. The solution to these problems is relatively simple and affordable for everyone.
Mini dental implants, also known as the MDI, are ultra-small biocompatible titanium alloy implant screws, which have proven to be a reliable way how to stabilize dentures in the mouth. These screws are inserted into the patient’s jaws.
Mini dental implants are placed in a non-invasive procedure under local anaesthetic. It is a painless procedure and takes about 90 minutes. Therefore, there is no need for complex surgery while inserting them.
Mini implants can often be placed to support a patient’s existing dentures. A patient with good bone health can even put it on immediately after the procedure.If the bone is of poor bone quality, especially in elderly patients, the healing time ranges from 3 to 4 weeks, after which the denture can be fully used.
Mini dental implants are manufactured from biologically neutral material that is accepted by the human body and it does not cause any allergic reactions. The head of each implant is shaped like a ball, which secures the denture with a rubber o-ring. The o-ring is part of the denture and acts like a socket that holds the denture at a predetermined level of force.When the denture is seated correctly, it rests gently on the patient’s gums and resists the natural forces that try to lift or move the denture to the sides. Therefore, any accidental displacement is excluded. The patient takes the denture out for the night.
Mini implants are inserted into a small pre-drilled hole using a pilot drill with a diameter of about 1.1 mm. Excellent stability of the implant and immediate loading is guaranteed by the shape of the screw itself, thanks to which the patient can use the denture on the very same day of the procedure without any worries.10 mini implants – 4 for the lower jaw and 6 for the upper jaw are used to stabilize the complete denture. However, mini implants can also be used to attach a denture to the upper or lower jaw separately.
Mini dental implants can solve many of the problems that patients might experience with a removable dental prosthesis. The most common problems include a denture falling out while chewing solid food, lack of confidence or the fear of denture drop when speaking to someone.
Mini implants are basically for everyone. There can be various situations in life when a person loses all the teeth whether it is due to periodontitis, osteoporosis or hereditary genetic disorders. The most common solution is a removable denture, which, however, may start to loosen and shift very easily. Although there are various adhesives on the market to hold the denture, they often dissolve while eating, which leads to the risk of the denture falling out.
It depends on the number of mini-implants that will be inserted into the jaw. This procedure usually takes about 1.5 hours for all ten implants to be placed.
Some patients can wear it immediately. Once you walk out of the clinic, you will be able to talk and eat without any problems. After having mini implants placed, you may experience some discomforts like mild pressure and pain or swelling around the gums for some days.
It's very rare. This occurs in 1 out of 100 cases when a placed root doesn’t align with the bone. In such a case, the patient does not feel pain but feels that something is wrong. In this case, the mini implant placement can be repeated in 3 months after the procedure. Of course, it is still under warranty.
It is important that you take good care of the mini-implants after having them placed. Like other dentures, implants need to be cleaned with a special interdental brush so the metal surface can still be bright.
