We all know someone who has lost a tooth or even all their teeth. Tooth loss is a common problem in the middle-aged to the elderly. People can even lose their teeth at a young age, either due to trauma, extensive decay, sports injuries or even a dental treatment completely gone wrong.

The elderly normally wear what we know as ‘dentures’. These are artificial replacements for their lost teeth. They are made of gum-colored acrylic (plastic-like) material to which acrylic or porcelain artificial teeth are attached, and they rest completely on the gums. For those who have just one or two teeth missing, a ‘partial denture’ or a ‘bridge’ is used to replace those teeth.

Dentures come with many drawbacks, the major one being that they are easily displaced while one is trying to talk or chew food. Hence the denture wearer is in constant fear of the denture falling off or becoming loose in the mouth (which, obviously, would be embarrassing). Other disadvantages of dentures are lesser efficiency while chewing and even impeded speech in some patients. Temporary solutions for retaining a denture in place are pastes and adhesives, but these need to be used several times a day and are, needless to say, inconvenient.

You may ask, what can be done to avoid dentures becoming loose? How can they be retained? Mini dental implants have been designed specifically for this purpose. An implant, in general, is a metal screw which is fixed into bone that previously held teeth. It is a permanent root replacement for a lost tooth, upon which a crown or a ‘fake tooth’ is seated. Multiple implants can be placed in the bone to replace a number of teeth together. I’ll explain everything about implants in more detail.

Types of Dental Implants

Normal Dental Implant Screw vs. Mini Implant Post

Implants can be divided into two types: conventional dental implants and dental mini implants. Both are made of titanium, but the difference is in their structure. A conventional implant is a hollow screw of about 4-5mm in diameter while a mini dental implant is solid and about 2mm in diameter.

Conventional implants are used in areas where there is more bone available for support, so are used to replace posterior teeth. But they can’t be used where the bone is too thin. This is where mini dental implants come into play. Since these little screws are so narrow, they can fit into very thin areas of bone, such as the area where the front teeth lie. This is where the bone is thinnest in the elderly and so mini implants for dentures work perfectly there.

In essence, mini dental implants perform the same function as conventional implants and provide the same strength, with just a narrower body. Also, both types of implants are made of titanium. This precious metal has the remarkable quality of attracting bone forming cells (‘osteoblasts’) so once the implants are placed, they stimulate bone growth around them, giving even better anchorage and support to the implant over time.

The concept of mini implants for dentures is simple and the aim is to provide anchorage or retention to removable dentures. Dental mini implants have two parts, a round head which lies above the gum and a screw, which is inserted and fixed into the bone beneath. But how does it work to support dentures? The ball head of the implant is what attaches to the denture to give it anchorage. The denture base is fixed with metal sockets that correspond and fit onto the round head of the implant. Also, a rubber ‘o-ring’ is attached to the denture socket, giving proper suction and force to the denture being held onto the implant. The dentures fit exactly over the mini implants and ‘snap’ into place. They can also be removed when needed, if adequate force is applied. So in essence, mini denture implants act like strong clips to hold the denture in place.

Mini dental implants are also used to replace a single missing tooth or temporarily during orthodontic (braces) treatment to help keep teeth in place which are not meant to move. In the case of single tooth replacements, the round head is replaced with a square or rectangular head implant to give better retention to the crown.

Now that you know what exactly what mini dental implants are, I’ll explain the procedure of how they are placed. It only takes a little over an hour to complete the whole procedure in just one visit, following a few simple steps. Typically, for lower dentures, four mini implants are placed into the anterior bone while for upper dentures, six are normally used.

The Mini Dental Implant Procedure

Mini Dental Implant Procedure for Denture Stabilisation

• The dentist will take a few X-rays to examine the exact condition and amount of bone available to work with.
• He administers local anesthesia to numb the area that will house the implants.
• Then, 1mm holes are drilled into the bone in the implant sites- they do not need to be the whole length of the implant screw to be placed.
• The mini implants are then inserted into the holes and screwed tightly into place, deeper than the drilled hole. This gives better support and anchorage to the implant hence the denture itself.
• Meanwhile, sockets are added to the denture base. It is then positioned exactly over the implants and ‘snapped’ into place.
• If the implant is for replacing a single tooth, the prepared crown can then be fixed onto a square or rectangular implant head for better retention.

That’s the whole procedure. No surgical intervention is required and no gum cutting or stitches are involved. The patient can even go eat his favorite meal the very same day! Mini implants for dentures make wearing dentures very convenient. They don’t dislodge throughout the day and you can talk and chew with ease. When you want, you can easily take them out to clean, or simply just to sleep peacefully at night while you store the dentures in a cup of water.

Since the procedure involved is much less time consuming and a lot more simple, the cost of mini implants is about half the price of conventional implants! It may still be expensive since they are not covered by dental insurance, but a one-time investment for a one hour procedure and a lifetime of comfort is probably the best deal anyone could ever ask for.

Author: Alina Nasir – Dental Consultant