Dental patients with missing teeth may not know the options available for filling in the gaps in their smiles. While dentures and conventional dental implants are a popular treatment choice, you have an alternative with mini dental implants, also known as MDIs or Narrow Body Implants. These prosthetics provide benefits for smile improvement and make treatment flexible for qualifying patients.
What are Mini Implants?
Mini implants are made from the same titanium alloy material as conventional implants but are smaller and narrower in size. While conventional implants are around 3 mm in diameter, MDIs are about half that and just as sturdy. The solid, one-piece design can prevent the need for a bone graft in some cases, and the procedure is less invasive than conventional implants. Typically, the process for placing mini implants takes one to two hours under a local anesthetic and has a full recovery time of only a few days.
How Can You Tell if You are a Good Candidate for Mini Implants?
Mini implants aren’t right for everyone, but if you are a patient in need of multiple implants, have degenerative bone that won’t allow for traditional implants or need to secure dentures in place, minis may be the fit for you. Some patients are better suited for the conventional implants but benefit from having a mini implant installed as a temporary fix. The most significant benefit of minis over conventional implants is the cost; MDIs are often a fraction of the price of traditional implants.
When Conventional Implants Might be a Better Fit
Conventional implants and dentures either can be a better alternative to mini implants depending on your circumstances. Full-sized implants have a larger surface area, making them more stable, but do require certain bone volume levels for integration. Conventional implants also consist of separate pieces that are added in phases. If you suffer from teeth grinding, mini implants are generally not recommended, as the grinding can wear down the implants prematurely.
In the end, one implant is not definitively better than another. Making a decision on what will work for you involves examining your unique health concerns and factors that contribute to implant success.
Dr. Okamoto and his staff want to make sure you know and are comfortable with all the options available to you when it comes to restoration with dental implants. If you have questions about dental implants, call the helpful staff at Drs. Steven and Michelle Okamoto’s office today!
Showing posts with label implant dentist in Torrance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label implant dentist in Torrance. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Monday, January 30, 2017
Replacing Failing Teeth
While experiencing total tooth failure is less common as oral health education, use of fluoride, and improved dental services that are readily available, it’s still an issue that patients face. Tooth failure is problematic and troublesome, but it can be corrected with better understanding of why it happened and what treatments are available to solve loss of function and overall health.
Why Do Teeth Fail?
It’s possible to experience dental problems due to genetic predisposition to poor soft tissue health and weak, demineralized teeth – or even a naturally unbalanced bite that was never corrected, which created broken and damaged teeth. However, teeth most often fail due to a prolonged history of dental problems, poor oral health practices, diet and lifestyle choices, and even unskilled or infrequent dental care.
Patients who see their teeth fail in their 40s and 50s are often those who started having dental problems early, with frequent and poorly provided fillings, or unnecessary capping of teeth. Over the years, these patients may have experienced repeat root canals and have a patchwork of prosthetics that have become worn and ineffective after a number of years.
Teeth can also fail if oral hygiene isn’t practiced regularly. This includes dental checkups as well as thorough at-home brushing and flossing. Patients who do not practice diligent dental care and make poor diet choices, including overconsumption of acid causing foods and utilizing tobacco, will quickly notice more frequent instances of decay and gum recession.
Unfortunately, teeth can also become damaged beyond repair with treatment from dentists who do not invest in patient wellness, take the time to get to know their needs, or practice conservative treatment methods. Inexperienced dentists who make mistakes during fillings or crown preparation, those who do not properly seal crowns and bridges, or even practitioners who provide unnecessary restorations can all contribute to the ultimate failure and extraction of affected teeth.
Treatment for Total Tooth Loss
In the hands of a qualified and experienced dentist, regaining your oral health and restoring all lost teeth in an arch is possible. As a skilled provider of dental implants and multiple surgical processes involved in the implant treatment process, patients at Dr. Okamoto’s Torrance dental office benefit from full smile restoration with varying numbers of dental implants, implant-supported dentures, and All on 4. Patients interested in these treatment plans can expect all phases of care to be completed at our practice, including extraction of failing teeth, bone grafting, implant placement, and restoration of implants with natural-looking prosthetics.
Don’t trust care of your smile to anyone other than an experienced professional. If you’re dealing with severely broken, decayed, and failing teeth, call Drs. Okamoto to ask our implant treatment options.
Why Do Teeth Fail?
It’s possible to experience dental problems due to genetic predisposition to poor soft tissue health and weak, demineralized teeth – or even a naturally unbalanced bite that was never corrected, which created broken and damaged teeth. However, teeth most often fail due to a prolonged history of dental problems, poor oral health practices, diet and lifestyle choices, and even unskilled or infrequent dental care.
Patients who see their teeth fail in their 40s and 50s are often those who started having dental problems early, with frequent and poorly provided fillings, or unnecessary capping of teeth. Over the years, these patients may have experienced repeat root canals and have a patchwork of prosthetics that have become worn and ineffective after a number of years.
Teeth can also fail if oral hygiene isn’t practiced regularly. This includes dental checkups as well as thorough at-home brushing and flossing. Patients who do not practice diligent dental care and make poor diet choices, including overconsumption of acid causing foods and utilizing tobacco, will quickly notice more frequent instances of decay and gum recession.
Unfortunately, teeth can also become damaged beyond repair with treatment from dentists who do not invest in patient wellness, take the time to get to know their needs, or practice conservative treatment methods. Inexperienced dentists who make mistakes during fillings or crown preparation, those who do not properly seal crowns and bridges, or even practitioners who provide unnecessary restorations can all contribute to the ultimate failure and extraction of affected teeth.
Treatment for Total Tooth Loss
In the hands of a qualified and experienced dentist, regaining your oral health and restoring all lost teeth in an arch is possible. As a skilled provider of dental implants and multiple surgical processes involved in the implant treatment process, patients at Dr. Okamoto’s Torrance dental office benefit from full smile restoration with varying numbers of dental implants, implant-supported dentures, and All on 4. Patients interested in these treatment plans can expect all phases of care to be completed at our practice, including extraction of failing teeth, bone grafting, implant placement, and restoration of implants with natural-looking prosthetics.
Don’t trust care of your smile to anyone other than an experienced professional. If you’re dealing with severely broken, decayed, and failing teeth, call Drs. Okamoto to ask our implant treatment options.
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