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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.