Mini Dental Implant Crown ~ Mini Implant Cost

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News flash of the week…we had our first 'drive by'.  No not a drive by shooting but a patient that said, he saw our sign on his morning drive to work each day.  Intrigued by what a mini implant was he did, 'a bit of searching on the inter-web.'  Pleased with what he learned he decided to make a visit to our office.

So Danny's now in the chair and as he is talking to me he has a curious habit of flipping his one tooth partial round and round in his mouth.  DM Partial He tells me its DM Missing toothbeen years since he lost his front tooth, thought about getting a 'real implant' but he did not see the value in around $1500 for the implant, $500 for the screw that goes into the screw, and $1500 for the cap (all his words). 

I assured him that I was not going to put a 'fake' implant in his mouth…it would be made of a similar titanium alloy and should integrate into his upper jaw just like those 'real' implants. 

We decided to place a DM Mini ImplantIntra-Lock MILO 3.0 x 15mm mini implant to support a single front tooth crown. No flap, no stitches, two small drill holes and then the implant was seated in the bone.  The entire process to place the mini implant was a surprise to Danny in terms of time and lack of discomfort. 

I was able to take one of my acrylic burs and make a hole in the back of his partial.  DM Partial w Hole He was able to use that to cover the mini implant until the lab fabricated crown come back to the office. 

The post will be updated with his final crown photo in a few weeks.

  DM Mini Implant xray He did ask if I could cut off the front tooth on his partial when he gets his crown.  Why, I asked puzzled?  He said, ' so I can flip that darn thing round and round.' 

Mini Dental Implant Bridge (Ken Clifford DDS Fixed Hybrid Denture Bridge is Here!)

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Do you have a denture?  Would you like to get rid of it for good?  Well now thanks to mini dental implants and my good friend Ken Clifford you have that option.  Ken

A patient of mine came to me and said, 'Dr. Patel I am so glad that I had mini implants placed to keep my lower denture from coming out every time I tried to eat or talk….but can you give me some teeth that I don't have to take out?'Vicki Mathis 011 Vicki Mathis

After pondering the thoughts of how to make a bridge that most people could afford I saw my friend Ken at the Annual Academy of Mini Implant Dentists in Orlando.  He had a great idea; why not take high quality, 4 layer denture teethPortrait_colortooth (in my opinion they look better than some porcelain teeth I have seen) and make a fixed bridge for our patients who suffer with dentures?  The more I thought about it the more it made sense.

Why should we tell patients that if I take some really accurate impressions and then make a tracing of how your chewing motions are that I will be able to create a set of dentures that will work?  Its just not true…they might work…but I think most just make do with what they have.  Dentures resting on gum tissue and chewing muscles will always create some sort of problem.  Soreness in the gums, irritations when chewing foods that get under the denture, the list can go on and on and most denture wearers will attest to that.

So with mini implants in hand, and soon in our office, a Cone Beam 3D X-ray its 'time to get to work,' as Ken would say.  After some careful planning we decided to upgrade Vicki's ability to chew by adding 7 additional mini implants on the lower arch.  One Intra Lock 2.0 x 18mm was placed in between the four she had.  3 additional Intra Lock 2.0 x 11mm were placed on each side for a total of 11 mini dental implants. Vicki Mathis Clifford Bridge Pan These will be used to hold a molar to molar (Roundhouse) Fixed Hybrid Denture Tooth Bridge; also know in my office as the Ken Clifford Bridge.  This bridge will be cemented over the top of the mini implants and will not be removed by the patient.

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The existing denture was modified to allow it to seat over the additional mini implants.IMG_7419   IMG_7418   She will comfortably wear her denture until the fixed set of teeth are made.

 

It will be designed in the same fashion as a traditional fixed hybrid bridge over regular diameter implants.   

I will continue the post as I get the model work back from First Impression's Dental Lab. 

Here is an example of a Fixed Hybrid Mini Implant Bridge.     Photo courtesy of Ken Clifford DDS. IMG_7524 IMG_7525  

Visit my dental office on the web at www.dentalminiimplant.com or if you are in Lenoir NC

Visit Dr. Ken Clifford on the web at www.kenclifford.com or if you are in Chico, CA. 

Mini Implants ~ Traditional Implants ~ Extractions ~ Crowns & Bridges

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Mini Dental Implants Case presentation of the week – Here is a patient that was referred to our office by another patient that we placed mini dental implants and restored the minis with crowns.

He had ALOT of needs.  But as with most things we see, I had some ideas and the patient had their own set of ideas.  With ample discussion and informed consent he decided to have a few extractions and some mini implants to support fixed crowns and bridges. 

X00601 Pre Operative Pan Xray

Doug Turner 001 Doug Turner 004 Root tips on lower left and Root tip Upper extracted today

  
 Mini Implants in place  

  
 
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X-ray of mini dental implants in extraction site and traditional implant immediate placement upper

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Extractions ~ Immediate Placement of Mini Dental Implant ~ Socket Preservation

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Interesting Case – Today we saw a young chap that was sent to us by his mother. She had 4 mini implants placed in her lower jaw to secure her denture some months back at our practice. 

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He told me that he has not smiled in several years…sad story but when we took a look it was apparent why.

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Wow!  No wonder…well, we got him motivated with a patient education appointment, several periodontal deep cleaning appointments and then the big day for him….we would extract the 4 front teeth, root canal therapy on the 2  canine teeth and place 4 mini dental implants.  DFDB (Demineralized Freeze Dried Bone) was placed around the minis to keep the proper height and width of his gum and bone tissue. 

Our plan is to let the mini implants heal into the bone and make 6 crowns for the final restoration.  While the minis are healing and the body is creating new bone from the bone grafting material, the patient will have a temporary bridge made from chair side acrylic.Michael Smith 009

I was not completely pleased with the final picture (a few drops of blood and a sagging lip from the anesthetic)…but he jumped out of the chair when he saw his smile in the mirror. 

I will keep the case post going as the case progresses.

Mini Dental Implants – What are they?

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Mini Implant A mini dental implant is a titanium implant that acts like the root of your tooth.  It can be used for securing a denture or partial denture.  Mini implants can be used for fixed crowns or bridges.  When used to replace a single rooted tooth many mini implant dentists place one mini implant.  When used to replace a multi rooted tooth (like a molar) 2 or more mini implants are placed.  A crown or bridge if fabricated by the dental lab and cemented over the mini implant. 

If used to secure a denture the head of the implant is shaped like a ball and the retaining fixture acts like a socket that contains a rubber O-ring. The O-ring snaps over the ball when the denture is inserted into your mouth. The denture is tissue supported and implant retained, in other words the denture no longer has to be held in place with adhesives or held in by the patient's own mouth muscles.