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Mini Implants: Small, But Powerful Smile Savers

tooth_bonding_1 Alma, MI Dentist | Mid-Michigan Dental Excellence

After living with loose-fitting dentures for years, you are finally ready to take the next step. You are ready for implant-supported dentures.

There may be a problem, however. All that time, your jawbone has been shrinking. If it’s too small, you may not be able to support the dental implants that you want to improve your quality of life.

You might be able to have a bone graft (essentially a bone tissue transplant) to rebuild your jaw.

Or, you could come to our dentist office in Alma, MI, where we offer both conventional and mini dental implants. With mini implants, you can get your implant-supported dentures sooner, which means you can enjoy the benefits sooner, too.

To learn more about whether mini implants are right for you, make an appointment at Mid-Michigan Dental Excellence. You can call (989) 796-4848 or contact us online.

 

Implants Improved Teeth Replacements

Before modern dental implants were developed in the 1960s, most replacement teeth were missing something very important.

The dental bridges and dentures that were used to take the place of lost and extracted teeth were an effective way to replace the crowns of teeth. And with the development of new ceramic materials, bridges and dentures looked more and more natural.

The dilemma was that they rested outside your gums. There was nothing to connect them to your jawbone similar to how roots anchored your teeth in place.

Your roots also helped to keep your jaw healthy. When people with teeth eat, their roots push into their jawbone. That pressure stimulates the bone, which causes it to created new bone tissue.

This new tissue replaces old tissue as it is reabsorbed and lets the jaw maintain its shape and size. Without roots or something else to replace it, the jawbone will begin to shrink.

Dental implants are that something else.

With implants, many patients have restored 90 percent or more of their original chewing power. This meant they could eat any food that they wanted to eat again.

Anyone with traditional dentures knows the frustrations of dentures that fall or slip out of position. By getting implants, you add stability to bridges and dentures. This keeps them securely in place when you are eating or just talking to someone.

 

Implants Need Support, Too

As great as dental implants have been for restorative dentistry, they also need to be supported.

The longer you go without teeth, the more of your jawbone will deteriorate. If you wait too long, then you might not have enough bone to hold your implants in place.

This is why we encourage you to replace missing teeth sooner rather than later.

This also is a dentist might recommend a bone graft for a patient who is seeking dental implants. While this can be effective, it also adds to the time and the expense of getting implants.

After going through the bone graft procedure, it may take months for you to heal. Only then can your dental implants be placed. After more months of recovery, you will be able to get your implant-supported dentures.

You could save time and money by coming to Mid-Michigan Dental Excellence instead. Here, we can place mini implants for you.

 

Mini Implants, Full-Size Benefits

As the name implies, mini implants are smaller than conventional dental implants.

That means that mini implants don’t need as much bone to support them. This also means they may be able to fit even if conventional implants don’t, so a bone graft is less likely to be needed.

Our dentist, Dr. Thomas McDonald, can examine your mouth and jaw to determine if you might be a good candidate for mini implants. Even if you can support full-size implants, you may want to consider mini implants instead.

Like full-sized implants, mini implants will hold your dentures firmly in place. They will improve your biting and chewing power, too, so you can eat what you want to eat rather than what you have to eat.

Because mini implants are smaller, they are less invasive to place than other implants. As a result, your jaw can heal more quickly from mini implant placement, which means you would have your mini implant-supported dentures in less time.

 

Find Out What Mini Implants Can Do

Patients at our Alma, MI, dentist office have enjoyed the advantages of mini implants for years. Now, we welcome you to find out what they could do for you.

Start by scheduling a consultation at Mid-Michigan Dental Excellence. Call (989) 796-4848 or fill out our online form, and let us know that you are interested in learning more about our mini implants.